Day 15 - Social Media Sabbath

A while back Dan said to me "Hey, do you think you could stay off Facebook today?"

It was shortly after we  moved to Nebraska. I didn't know anyone here yet so I was looking to Facebook to fill the social void in my life. I was spending any extra moment during the day either talking to my mom, who's also an avid Facebook fan like I am, or with a group of women in a private Facebook group.

I touched on this a few days ago in my post Quality Kid Time when I talked about how I devote one hour a day to Max, completely technology free (with the exception of the car to get to the park!). But I wanted to share with you more about why social media-free Sundays mean something to me and my family.

I make no secret of my love for Facebook. As a stay-at-home mom and before that, a telecommuter, and with my chronic back problems and family not living nearby, Facebook has given me the freedom to interact with my friends and family more than I would have been able to otherwise. It's definitely been a huge blessing for me (I bet you'd never thought you'd hear someone call Facebook a blessing, eh?). But, sometimes in the midst of connecting with friends and family around the world, the people I have right here can get ignored, and if I am devoting my time to maintaining long distance friendships, when will I have time to make friendships right here?

So I took Dan's idea and ran with it. He asked me for one day free from Facebook, not one day a week.

So why did I choose to observe every Sunday? Sunday, as a Christian, is my day of rest. It's the day I devote to God and to my family, so it felt natural to me to spend the day social media-free. It is liberating to me to close my iPad and not worry about what's going on with Facebook or Twitter (or Instagram...) and just be with my family. 

And this thinking has permeated other aspects of my life - I started my technology-free time with Max at the park after starting my Social Media Sabbath, and though an incredibly difficult decision to make, I left the group of women on Facebook after eight years. It was very hard, but that decision gave me more time and freedom to focus on the relationships right here in front of me.

I'm not perfect at taking my Social Media Sabbath. Sometimes I forget or sometimes I need to make sure to pass along something in a private message, but I'm trying, and really, I think that's the important thing.

Have you tried taking a Social Media Sabbath? Do you observe one regularly? How do you fill your time? I urge you all to give it a try this coming week, whether for a day or just a few hours! Come share your results with me.

Get Uncomfortable, Day 7 - Reluctant Worship

I'm about to confess one of my biggest secrets: I struggle daily with social anxiety and what I presume is agoraphobia.

No, that doesn't mean I'm a shut in or that I am a recluse who hates people. Many of the people who do know about my struggle were surprised because I am warm and friendly. I love people. It means that crowds or situations where I am not in control or that are unfamiliar can cause me enormous anxiety. So much so that I avoid situations.

I was telling you guys a few days ago about how after three years of living in South Carolina I finally reached my breaking point- I had made a couple of friends, one especially good friend, but my circle was very small and I was incredibly lonely. At that point, Dan and I joined a Bible study at our church.

I'm not a fan of big groups, and by big I mean more than say, three people. We attended that same bible study group for a year before I said a peep to the group. And when I finally did, my heart was going like a freight train and I was so anxious, despite knowing most of the people in the group. 

"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD." — Psalm 122:1

 
Dan, Max, and I went to visit a new church a few weeks ago, the first one since we moved to Nebraska. It took days of talking myself into it before I told Dan that I'd like to go try it out. Even to my own amazement, come Sunday morning I didn't let my anxiety get the best of me and I followed through.

It was awesome.

Still though, it's been three weeks and we haven't been back. Why? Because my anxiety around being out of my comfort zone can be so all-consuming, it can even make me chicken out of things that will edify and improve my life.

I wrote on Day 2 about how getting plugged into my old church was the catalyst for huge life change for me; I have met almost all of my good friends through churches or Bible studies. And when I show up, church is where I find my people.

My baptism, July 2011. Photo by Meggan Goff.

 

We need community- corporate worship, encouragement from those who share our faith, and fellowship with other Christians are major pillars in our faith. Yes, you can be a Christian and not go to church, but it's a lonely path and, in my opinion, not what God designed for us.

Friends, my fellow Christians, I am making the commitment today to allow myself to Get Uncomfortable. I am not going to let my anxiety stand in the way of God's best for me and I know that includes finding a church family.

I ask you, friends, to help hold me accountable; next Sunday I will be back here with an update on how I did.

Who's with me?

What holds you back from finding a church home? Do you struggle with anxiety too? Tell me your story in the comments below!

Get Uncomfortable, Day 3 - Making Time for God

I was about 15 years old when I became a Christian. I grew up in a Christian home but didn't identify myself as a Christian until my teenage years.

Despite being a Christian for half a lifetime (almost 31 years old, y'all!), I feel very much like a baby in my faith. The truth is that while I love Jesus with all my heart, I just don't make enough time for him, and how can you have a thriving relationship with someone you don't make time for?

I am fastidious about prayer when someone is hurting, but making time for God, for thanksgiving and praise or even just learning His Word, has always been a struggle for me.

This, friends, truthfully isn't a topic I feel remotely worthy of teaching on or sharing about, for my faith is but a tiny little seedling. But I have this ache in my soul to nurture that little seedling into something glorious and beautiful.

For many years, I identified this as my life verse:
                                "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."

It is my prayer for myself, and for anyone joining me on this journey, that I learn to delight myself in my maker and that his desires become my desires.

I am spending the next 30 days working my way through the Psalms. I'd love for you to join me.

Tell me, how are the desires of your heart changing as you grow closer to God?

Click here for Day 2: Cultivating Friendships
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