Is It Possible?

Hello, my name is Beth, and I am addicted to Facebook… If there isn’t already, there soon will be a 12-step program for Facebook addicts, to which I must confess, I think I am one. Isn’t the first step to recovery admitting I have a problem? Okay… so does “I think” count?

After Remade Ministries went online, I went from having a personal Facebook page and one email address to: a website, two Facebook pages, a blog, RSS feed, twitter, and 5 email addresses! Now, waiting to pick up the kids I check Facebook. Standing in line anywhere, I check Facebook. When I wake up in the morning… well you get the idea. My mind is never at rest! I have access via my phone, my laptop, and the house PC!

I could sense the Lord calling me to a deeper place with Him, but I couldn’t find Him! There is so much in the way! Too many things to take up my free time. There is always something snatching away what used to be time to just sit and dwell upon the Lord. Now, there’s no time to listen to His thoughts, because it’s all about how many likes, comments, and followers!

I’ve tried to excuse away my over consumption of Facebook; long distance friends, my family that I only speak to online, and not to mention all of my friends are on Facebook! How in the world will I stay in the know! Then there was the very practical argument… Facebook and technology are the wave of the future… if I want to stay relevant I need to keep my Facebook! All of those excuses kept me connected to the Facebook umbilical cord! 

However, God kept beckoning, and I simply could no longer ignore it. Searching for away to make time for Him always came back to the thing that was consuming my thoughts more than Him… Facebook! Apart from that, I could not devote undivided attention to Him and Him alone. My thoughts were continually split between all of those other things I kept up on.

Nevertheless, so as not to overreact, because after all this could just be me being emotional, I consulted my husband about eliminating Facebook. Hoping he’d tell me it was a must keep he (surprisingly quick I might add) responded by saying “I think that is a great idea!” To which I responded ‘Really?’ Of course, I took the remainder of the weekend to think it over and do some research (or drag my feet, you decide). Yet, in the end, the best decision was to make my private page a public one, which has eliminated my ability to get caught up in the news feed – basically it made Facebook BORING!

I thought it might be a little difficult, but I had NO IDEA the withdrawals I would go through!  It’s been 24 hours, and I feel like I have lost touch with my whole world! Oh lord, that statement alone confirms it’s an addiction!

I am thankful that God is merciful, and only asking me to eliminate this one thing right now… I am not quite sure I could handle another major shift in my life at this point! 🙂 The loss of Facebook was about all I could take! 😉

The exciting part, though, is knowing that the Lord desires more of me; which is why He was beckoning… not because Facebook is bad, or I was doing something so wrong… He’s just jealous for all of my heart, not just what’s left over, and that thought is sort of cool, and makes it worth it.

If you are struggling with a technology death grip, check out my friend, Bryan Brooks, blog Tech Sabbath Habit He has just published a new book called Creating a Tech Sabbath Habit. I really connected with Bryan’s testimony of his struggle with technology!

Teach me your way, oh Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11

Let’s Chat: As always I am interested in what you think! Do you think that with the ease of access to technology, we have to work harder and harder at being still before the Lord? When radio and television were invented, do you believe they struggled with managing their time with the Lord?