When my family and I decided to take a vacation this
Spring Break I also felt convicted to put all social media (such as Facebook
and twitter) away for the entire time. Don't get me wrong. I
think Facebook can be a very handy tool for Christians.
As a Pastor I use it to
post great quotes I come across, books worth reading, articles worth a look,
warn about wolves, encourage/exhort brethren near me or in other countries.
I post A LOT; albeit when I post an article I'm typically not on Facebook, I'm
on a blog or news site and posting from there... even still.
I had to know whether my usage of Facebook had become an
addiction/possible idol in my life.
The first couple of days, anytime I found myself in a
moment where nothing was going on (waiting for my kids to finish eating...
Standing in a line... Driving to our destination) I would grab my phone and
reach my thumb towards the FB icon stopping just shy of pressing it.
I wasn't doing it from an obsessed desire to see what
people were doing or to show all my friends what I was having for lunch... I
was doing it because I wanted to fill the time.
By the end of day 2 it had become way easier. The urge
was gone and I couldn't care less. Day 3-5 I began noticing the things that I will detail below. Sufficing to say here that by day 3 of no facebook or other social media it was actually quite easy to stay away.
Will I keep my facebook? Most likely. Will I continue to post so
often? Possibly on occasions but not nearly so much as before
This has helped me break the need to feel I have to check Facebook every 10
minutes (or less!!!).
In fact, today being my first real day back online in the world of social media I have only felt compelled to log in to facebook just a couple of times and none during lunch rather than my usual every 3-5 minutes.
I HIGHLY encourage all of you to ask yourself: 'Just how
dependent have I become on Facebook (or other social media)?' Does the thought of giving it up even for a
week sound like something you couldn't stand?
How about giving it up for good? Yes or no?
I'm not saying you should deactivate your account, but if in your mind
your thinking, 'I could never do that!'
My friend, you may have found an idol in your heart. Without further ado...
Things I learned from my Facebook Hiatus:
1.) Prayer time came much more frequently. I found out I
was filling the free time with mindless facebooking which led to mass time
consumption which equaled far less time spent praying and communicating with God.
2.) The time I spent in the Word was much more meaningful
as I was not so distracted wondering who'd 'liked' my posts or who had done
what that day. It sneaks up to slowly, the desire to receive approval from others I mean.
3.) I enjoyed more fully my time with my family. When I
constantly check Facebook in the boredom time I sometimes miss my kids saying
something to me the first time. I also
noticed I had far more patience in general. Don't get me wrong, I don't get
upset at an interruption from Facebook, but I think the extra patience came
from my brain not constantly being bombarded with my surroundings AND the
Facebook world
4.) It isn't as much addiction as it is a constant effort to avoid boredom. Why do I
feel I must constantly be entertained. A sound theology of rest is vital to my spiritual & physical
health. Rest
can also just be not filling my every short moment with
something as much as it is taking an extended rest period such as a vacation.
5.) I fit in reading 2 books start to finish, each had at
least 200pgs, and I retained more of what I read (no Facebook quote posting). Two whole books! Now I love to read, but absorbing two books in a week (after the kids went to bed and on our trip to and from our destination) is incredible for me.
