Facebook is a great thing! It has been so wonderful to connect with friends from the past that I thought I would never see again. It has also been great to keep in touch with friends who live far away or even those who live nearby- it's a way to stay in touch without being on the phone, which is something that is hard for a busy Mom with kids to do. But as with many things in my life, I have become undisciplined and allowed it to replace the more important things- like my devotions and time with the Lord, time with my family, being productive and getting things done around the house. Some days I literally go from FB to homeschooling, back to FB, back to schooling, checking one more time, back to school...school finally being done...back to FB, changing a load of laundry, FB, deciding what I should fix for dinner (finding a recipe on line), FB, ...you get the picture. And sometimes sweeping the floor, cleaning a bathroom, playing a game with the boys or vacuuming in between. It had begun to fill a void in my heart and brought instant gratification on those lonely days every homeschool Mom experiences.
A couple of weekends ago I finally, finally confessed to my husband that I was actually getting quite an addiction going with FB and spending way more time on it than I should be. He told me he could take care of it (wink, wink) and as a joke he set up a block (AKA parental control--hee hee). He made it so that I could only be on FB during the hours of midnight to 9AM (9AM is when we start school). That weekend was wonderful.... since I actually didn't even get up until 8 and then had to make coffee and check e-mails, etc., I only ended up on FB for maybe 10 min. The next day was the same, and the next. Pretty soon I was back to spending time with the Lord-- desiring it and not doing it out of duty-- and spending more time with my family. I even bought a cross stitch project and have been really enjoying it. The block is now off and I now have a new perspective. The addiction is gone!! I'm so much happier and my days are so much more productive.
It's funny because I had never thought of myself as lazy, but this was sure eye opening for me and a reminder of how easy it is to have something else take the place of God- He should fill those empty places in my heart. I need to go to Him when I'm feeling a little down or discouraged or lonely. Only He can fill the longing in my soul and make me truly happy.
Psalm 63 is one of my favorites:
1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 They who seek my life will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God's name will praise him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
Only He can fill the longing in my soul and make me truly happy. And that is the kind of joy that I want...the unspeakable, unstoppable, unexplainable joy of the Lord!
Mel, I could have written this myself! You are spot on when you say it becomes a thing that "fills a void," a self-created one for me. I have my Lord, my husband and children, and my home. Why do I venture to something like FB? Because it's instant gratification-- but not satisfying like time with the Lord or with my family. I stepped away, too, and I love the results. Stay strong, sister, in earnestly seeking our Lord. :)
ReplyDeleteI hear ya Mel. I, too am on facebook, and stay on it way too late at night at times. A facebook fast would probably do many of us a lot of good. Thank you for your wonerfully honest post. I'll pray for you, and you for me, ok? Blessings!
ReplyDeleteMel, I have to tell you that Thursday and Friday mornings in my time alone with the Lord I picked up "random" Bibles and turned very randomly to the portion where I read. 1st Bible was a regularly formatted, the 2nd was my Chronological Bible. I simply began reading and to the Lord's plan, I'm quite certain, I was reading from Isaiah 55:1-......BOTH TIMES. Check it out. I think the Lord has some things to say to me, to us about what lasts. Blessings, friend in the Lord.
ReplyDeleteouch! i love this very convicting post, my friend!! My boys are doing math right now...while I read this post! You are so right, though...I am off to teach math and meditate on Psalm 63...:)
ReplyDeletelove to you, mariel
hey...just came across your blog via (you guessed it!) FB!! how ironic. but how true this post rings for me as well. in the midst of all that is going on in our home, you would think i would draw closer to the Lord, but, alas...i have just let the culture insidiously replace my desire for God. thank you for your practical resolution! i don't know if i can figure out how to block it, but i know that if the laptop weren't around, i wouldn't get on at all. blessings!! hope to see you after spring break :)
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