a season of being unplugged.

my church is currently in the middle of a 21 day fast to kick off the new year, find focus, clarity where needed, direction, confirmation, you name it. our pastor coordinates the fast, but then directs the congregation to fast whatever they see fit in their life for that season. and i love that. lots of people are doing the daniel's fast (only fruits, veggies & nuts), some people are giving up pop, some people are doing a spending fast (only buying the bare essentials) and there's a handful of people doing a social media fast.

we had a service last sunday night which was only worship music and praying for specific areas (health, finances, loved ones not serving the lord, etc). i didn't feel a clear direction of what the lord would want me to fast during this 21 days, so i was really hoping the service would solidify that. well, although i was a blubbery, crying mess by the end of it, i still didn't have a certainty.

i ran into a friend after service and we started talking about what she was giving up: facebook. while she explained why she was giving that up, i began to rambol all the reason why i couldn't possibly give that up: i would feel so disconnected, i wouldn't know about playdates, i wouldn't know what was going on with different moms groups i'm a part of, etc. and then she looked at me and said 'those are all the reasons you probably need to give it up'. ouch. and she couldn't have been more right.

social media provides such a false sense of community. if i see pictures of other people and read about what they're doing at any given moment, it makes me feel like i had a connection with them. it makes me think that i don't necessarily need to call up a friend to see how she's doing because i read about her day on twitter or saw where she was and with who on instagram.

the fast just begun monday, so i'm literally only 2 days in, BUT... i cannot even begin to tell you how liberating it has been! it took some time, but i finally don't feel attached to my phone. it hasn't been the first thing i've grabbed when i find myself bored. i also don't sit and wonder about what i'm missing out on (which was something i expected). and... if for no other reason, giving this up has provided me with seriously HOURS of extra sleep at night. i know i'm not the only one who would sit in bed and scroll through my beloved facebook before finally putting the phone down and going to sleep.

social media, in and of itself, was my biggest hindrance in being productive. it also was likely my biggest hindrance in having joy that only comes from the lord! and that's a scary place to be in, friends!

i know people will step away from facebook here and there for seasons and i've never been that person. i didn't see the necessity of it and genuinely couldn't stand the thought of missing a pregnancy announcement, funny story about my niece or anything else. i was attached to the gratification that social media provided.

so, in case you aren't super familar with the idea of fasting... it's not meant to just be something you have to "give up" for god or he'll be mad at you. actually, that's not it at all. it's about your heart and cutting something out of your life for a period where you can focus on the lord. i've spent hours over the past couple days (that i would've been scrolling through my phone) meditating on the word, worshipping and praying for all sorts of things. it's been beyond refreshing to unplug and fill that time with things that glorify god!

even after just a couple days, i feel renewed and closer to god than i have been in months. and what a blessing that has been for me, my husband and holden!