Yeah, About That...

Did you ever set out to do something you think might prove earth shattering, monumental, even life changing, only to discover that in the grand scheme of things it was just a small blip? 

 I took a break from Facebook. I determined a break of one week and as previously reported, it proved harder than I thought it would be. But as I progressed through the week I learned some things. (None of which were earth shattering, monumental or life changing.)

1.  Life goes on with or without a Facebook connection. (shocking, I know!)

2.  I don't need to know everything that is happening. (translation: it's not about me)

3. No one really missed me (well that's always an ego-buster but humbling can be good for the soul) 

4. There were plenty of other things to do (and instagram/twitter/scrabble, were not on the list)

But probably the most important was this:

5. That it wasn't so much about fasting from something, it was really more about examining the condition of my heart. 

How'd I do? I wish I could say that I used all the time I wasn't engaged in social media to read my bible, pray more, preach the gospel, or save the world but honestly? My week was pretty much the same as it always was, just without any status updates to support that.

I wanted the time away to re-prioritize but upon a closer look, I learned my priorities are in pretty good shape. That was affirming in its own way but then… a couple of days before my self-imposed fast ended, I "cheated.”

I belong to a monthly photo challenge group (on Facebook) where each day we post a picture according to the daily prompt. I really wanted to participate in that and had missed out on several days. So, fast or no fast, I logged in to share my picture for that day. There I found a private message from someone else in the photo challenge group, someone I had never met. Her message in a nutshell, said she wanted me to know that she saw my life on Facebook as a witness and a testimony. She said because of my Facebook posts, she'd learned of my blog and read a couple of posts here that truly blessed her. She shared some things about her life and why my blog posts had spoken to her heart. I cannot tell you what a gift that was!

On my sidebar, you might notice a verse from Acts 20.24.  But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus; the work of telling others the good news about God’s kindness and love. Acts 20.24  This verse serves as my mission statement in regards to my writing. 

When I read this dear woman’s message, I felt like I had gotten a little postcard from God, confirming that what I do with my writing wasn't being wasted. I felt humbled that God could use me, to use my writing to minister to anyone.

So, the Facebook Fast wasn't earth shattering, monumental, or even life changing. But it was worth it.