After reading my daughters letter I knew my next step of action was to wean myself off of social media. Not completely, mind you. Otherwise this site would be gone. But Facebook has got to go. Twitter has got to go. I’ve realized that I’m giving most of my precious time to acquaintances, who if we’re honest, don’t have a real investment in me. For the close friends on social media, I will find ways to interact in real life. This is not a selfish post, I don’t want to make this all about me. This is about how I’ve fallen and I need to find that narrow path again. The path that leads to a real investment in God. A path most of us need to find again.
I reluctantly joined Facebook in the winter of 2009. We had moved away and had no family or friends nearby. This seemed to be the best way to stay connected. Little did I know how addicting social media would be for me. Some people, I realize, can go on once a month and be content. That’s not me. I became a slave to the desire of recognition. I wanted to know that I wasn’t alone. And for some reason, God wasn’t enough for me. I wanted human attention. I wanted ‘likes’ as much as I had wanted ‘favorites’ when I had been addicted to Flickr. As a stay at home mom I wanted nothing more than companionship. I loved being a mother but with a husband who worked and coached and went to school I was forgetting who I was. I was lost in motherhood. Social media became my escape.
And I’ve wasted hours upon hours in front of this small screen. Snipping at my children when they dare interrupt my ‘alone’ time. Leaving my Bible asleep on the counter covered with the days mail. Disregarding household chores that could bless my family. All this time I chose ME. And isn’t that what the world screams to mothers? “Take time for yourself! You deserve it! Get pampered!”
Listen, our time is flying away. We can no longer bend a knee to this world. We have to choose to live for Christ or live for ourselves. Living the Christian life was never meant to be easy. We are not meant to be comfortable. I know, I know I’m going to struggle with wanting to go numb in front of the computer. But ever time I say no that’s one less victory for the devil. Just need to take small steps each and every day.
So I’m saying goodbye to social media {which is incredibly difficult as that is my husbands profession}. But I’m ready to take that extra time and spend it with my children. With my husband. With my Lord. Those early morning moments that I checked e-mail {more spam?} and facebook {farmville, anyone?} will be spent on my knees before a God who deserves so much more that just a quick thanks before dinner. When all is said and done I don’t want to have wasted it all. I want to have run the race as best as I possibly could.
Join me?
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
{James 4:4-8 ESV}
Blessings!
