The Facebook Fast

The questions stared up at me from the printed page on my lap. I squirmed in discomfort as I pondered what was being asked. Squirming inside, because the questions struck a nerve. And I knew immediately what the answer was.

Hello, My name is Robyn and I'm a facebook-aholic. It's been 3 days, 2 hours and 18 minutes since my last facebook check in...

Sunday Morning. Sitting in church. Program insert with sermon notes on my lap. Pen poised, I scan the page. At the end of the notes are the questions; Life Application Questions to be exact. The first one leaps up at me, and it doesn't just threaten to bite me, it BITES ME.
1. Identify three areas of your life that take up your time; what are they and what practical changes can you make this week to focus more of your energy on the One Who Is Worthy? 

I started using Facebook back in 2007 and at first it was just an occasional visit. Checking in to see what my friends were up to, maybe post a little status update of my own. It was harmless and fun and a great way to stay connected without overcommitting myself. Everyone was doing it.

Without any hesitation I could easily identify three things that occupied a great deal of my time each day and it wasn't Jesus. Yes, I read from my bible most every day and have some cool stuff, like the bible app on my phone and email devotionals. Just recently my husband and I have started doing our morning bible reading together and then praying together before he leaves for work. I listen almost exclusively to praise music in the car and when I'm at home. I try to say a prayer each time I hear a siren screaming down the highway and I try to offer an encouraging word when I read a distressing post on facebook.... I always feels like Jesus is right there with me.I believe He's walking with me every day.... So really, if Jesus is the air I breathe, like the song says, aren't I always proclaiming He is Worthy?

I've tried justifying my time on Facebook, saying I'm using it as a tool for witnessing and being an encourager. I list prayer requests and I honor prayer requests. I see a need and I step in to help where I can. An occasional game of Scrabble or Words With Friends is harmless too right? It's not like I am doing that hard stuff like Farmville or Crushing Candy. Shoot, I don't even POKE, for crying out loud! ...... OK, OK, so I Bitstrip!! But I made at least one of those cartoons into a Warrior for God witnessing tool!!

Let's be fair. Facebook isn't really evil. It does serve a purpose and it's a good one. It keeps us connected and informed and even entertained.  It allows me to stay connected with my kids and grandkids who live on the other side of the county. None of those things are bad or wrong -- no, on the contrary, they are fabulous and fun and good! But, like all things, it's to be done in MODERATION.  And that is where I was falling down.

Jesus replied: "I am the bread of life, whoever comes to be will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6.35.  I know that Jesus alone can satisfy the hunger inside of us. But I was using other things to fill me up. Instagram, Twitter, Email, even Blogging was a good portion of my day. But, Facebook was the biggest one.

When I got my smartphone and could install all these cool apps I thought it was pretty sweet. Like I said, I had a bible app-- actually TWO bible apps, and being able to take and post a picture right from my phone was really quite awesome! But, it wasn't long before I was checking my phone every minute that I wasn't doing something else. Then it was checking my phone INSTEAD OF doing something else. It wasn't long before I realized I was addicted.

Something inside of me was empty and I was using social media to try and fill it.

From my Sunday sermon notes: Life is full of counterfeit imitations that promise to fulfill. Our only hope is a fierce hunger for the only ONE who can give us what we need. 

Our pastor reminded us of the people of Moses' time, and the 40 years they wandered in the desert. God gave them a miracle every single day.  He gave them manna to sustain them. But He didn't dole out a week's worth every Sabbath. He supplied it fresh, each day. Just enough for that day.

God is still in the manna supply business. Daily. Just enough for today, because that's all we need. Coming to church on Sunday for a fill up is great but it's not enough. God wants daily connection with us. With me. And I need it so much more than I am sometimes willing to admit.

Another probing question on my sermon notes was this: 'AM I ENOUGH FOR YOU ________?" (The 'fill in the blank' presumably for me to insert my name, as in Jesus asking me "Am I enough for you, Robyn?")
I really want to be able to say that yes, He is.

I realize that Facebook may not be an issue for other people but it was/has certainly gotten in the way of other things for me. As I drove home from church I knew that some changes were in order. I  often have said "God's Book before Facebook" but I sometimes broke that rule, and I knew setting a time limit wasn't going to work for me. I needed something serious. Something severe. Something drastic. I needed to take a Facebook Fast. No Facebook for a set period of time so I could re-prioritize my time. I decided to LOG OFF my Facebook account that very day.

This hasn't proved easy for me. My fingers itched to hit the facebook icon on my phone, so I deleted the icon for now. The burning desire to check in and see what's happening shows me that this break is much needed. But during the first two days I twittered more than I have in months and when I instagram, I hesitate-- do I share this on Facebook or not? Would that be considered cheating? But, I realized that in taking this break, I get to make the rules and it's not about how long I stay away from Facebook or even, really, about staying away in the first place. It's about recognizing Priorities. It's about the condition of my heart. It's about how I go about meeting my needs. Like eating or shopping or gambling or drinking to numb the pain or fill a void, when really, it wont.  Where do I go FIRST when I feel lost .... or lonely... or hurting... or sad... or confused... or bored??? I want with all my heart to be able to honestly say, I go to The One Who Is Worthy. The One who gives Daily Bread so I will never be hungry again.

Hello, my name is Robyn and I am in recovery. 

A 7-11 Jesus

The woman at the well is a familiar passage from the bible for most of us. She's used in sermon illustrations about as often as Peter walking on the water, Martha's whining over Mary not helping her with dinner and Lazarus being raised from the dead. So it always amazes me when I revisit a well known story and have a fresh take away.( I guess that is why we call the Word of God "LIVING".)

John 4:

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

We were discussing the Woman at the Well the other night in our small group. The woman had this interesting exchange with Jesus-- the Great I AM-- and asks where she can get this water that will forever quench her thirst. Someone in our group made the comment "I don't think she got it." meaning the Samaritan Woman thought Jesus was talking about literal water when He was actually referencing the spiritual water that only He can give. Of course the Samaritan Woman wanted the water that would satisfy;  "Give me this water so I don't have to keep coming back to draw more water."

Don't we all want the easier way? I sometimes despair as I clean my house because I know by tomorrow the carpet will be in desperate need of another vacuuming, and the bathroom will need another disinfecting wipe down. I wonder if I, like the woman at the well, want what Jesus has to offer, only out of convenience, to make my life easier.

But did Jesus come to take away lifes challenges? Hmmm...... I'm thinking He is more concerned with changing us inside  in order to empower us to deal with our problems with a more Christ like perspective. Yet, here I am, acting like Jesus is some corner-market convenience store I can run to when I am running low on supplies.

I do my major grocery shopping about once every two weeks. I stock up with enough meat and veggies to make the meals I have planned out but in between those big shopping trips, there will be several quick visits to the market on the corner for bread and eggs, or some forgotten ingredient, or when I am desperate for cream in my coffee early in the morning, the gas station-quickie-mart across the road from my house.

I get my big fill up of Jesus on Sunday mornings, soaking in His presence as we worship, taking notes as our Pastor exegesis and it's all good. But if I don't supplement my Sunday with DAILY dips into God's Word, if I don't stop and have some heart felt conversation with my Jesus, if I just coast all week on Sundays message it will be like having pancakes without butter and syrup, oatmeal without milk and--- horror of horrors--- coffee sans cream.

In other words, it won't satisfy.

Too often I am ashamed to admit, I end up treating my Savior like a 7-11 Jesus. I know he's there 24/7 and he's got all the things I need in a pinch. So I dash in and grab the stuff I need like, safety for my husband on the job, healing for all those people on my list-- you know who they are Lord, and please make things go smoothly for my friends who are struggling..... oh, and Jesus, could you make my life go slower so I won't have to do this mad-dash prayer routine? 

Well, that's just nuts but it's a reality thats played out much too often to my chagrin.

I dusted the living room today and shook my head sadly as I wiped particles of dust off my bible. I flipped it open to the card with the Daily Reading Plan many of us in church are following. Yep, its marking the chapter for last weeks reading. Oops. So I sat down and read. I read up to today. And guess what? We are in the book of John and it's chapter 4. The Woman at the Well.

Which brings me full circle. The woman wanted the water that would satisfy so she wouldn't have to keep coming back to draw more buckets from the well. It was a lot of work hauling water home each day and she was tired of the scornful looks she got from her neighbors who knew her shameful past (5 husbands!) and her shameful present (living with a man she wasn't married to). She yearned for her life to be made easier. And Jesus offers her water that isn't from a well. Jesus offers her water that will satisfy eternally; a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

I said I gleaned some new stuff from reading this familiar passage in the gospel of John.

I realized I'm thirsty.

Let's Do This Thing

If you have been following the posts here on Embracing Change, we are at Step FOUR which is Implementing the Plan.

To be honest, this one is a toughie for me right now. I want to follow the plan in my Curves Fitness & Weight Management book but it does require following a special food plan. Of course there are adaptions that can be made; exchange options. This will require me to be even more deliberate and thoughtful. And that can get old for me real quick. BUT -- and this is an important BUT-- I DO want to make this change and I do want success.

Regardless of what diet plan we decide to follow, there is always one fundamental step. Replacing the bad foods with healthier choices. It is suggested that we clean out our cupboards of everything processed and sweet. This can be a toughie when your budget will not allow you to purchase foods needed for following the program. (why is Top Ramen so cheap and things like fresh fruit and veggies so expensive?? Grrrr)

Still, I need to make this month my own: Stick to the plan and don't make a new decision after I begin. Each day I might be tempted to reconsider my decision. Don't reconsider-- recommit!

I said I would walk for 30 minutes every day. I said I would work out at Curves 3 x a week. I said I would follow the food plan to the best of my ability. For one month I will do this.

The magic of this month is the change that happens. This is where process kicks in!

 
Gaining weight happened gradually. It is estimated that the average woman gains about 2 lbs a year. It sneaks up on you till one morning you no longer can zip that sweet little skirt shut or carrying your toddler up the stairs strains your knees more than you care to admit. Excess weight chips away at our quality of life so gradually that we don't notice it till it's significant.

Losing weight happens the same way but in reverse. When you are feeding your body right and exercising it well you can see progress but it may feel small and inconsequential. Take heart! No progress is insignificant!

Just Do It

nike swoosh

Nike's famous slogan sounds great on paper but carrying it out is not always as simple as it sounds.

After 4 weeks of writing down everything I ate in an online weight tracker, with a goal of 1300 calories per day and with 3 workouts a week under my belt, I really expected to shake some pounds off. But my scale has NOT BUDGED. I am frustrated but not defeated. Tackling this subject of Embracing Change in my blog is making me look deeper at the reasons I want to lose weight and how I will attack it.

Today the focus is Planning the Solution.
I made the decision that fitness and weight management is a priority in my life. I am learning to operate from a place that is NOT motivated by emotions or desperation. It's not enough to let that be my motivation because my emotions change daily (sometimes minute by minute) and desperation will not steer me into thoughtful consideration of identifying the problem, prioritizing it, nor planning it. Desperation is what makes me skip breakfast, drink a 'energy drink' for lunch and then plan to eat a 'healthy dinner' all in an attempt to lose the 5 pounds that somehow attached themselves to me over a weekend. The plan fails before dinner ever arrives because I am starving.

Changing my body weight and sticking with a regular exercise program requires a thoughtful process that will produce lasting change. I don't have to depend on my will power-- because my will power won't change me. I have to change my habits. Saying 'Just do it' is not going to be enough.

Over the years in my spiritual walk, I have learned I can't change myself. Not until I give permission to the Holy Spirit to have HIS way with me, does real change occur.

I can establish change in my habits however. I can change out a bad habit to a good habit. I have made it a new practice to go to God's book each morning before I go to Facebook.  And spending time in knee-mail before I e-mail. They say it takes 21 days to establish a habit, good or bad. And it takes just as long to break one. Just a thought...

So, first things first. I need a plan that has proven to be effective. I have decided to follow as best I can, the weight management plan that is available to me through my old (dusted off) copy of the Curves fitness and weight management plan. We each have to find the one that we feel comfortable with, can work with and adapt to our specific needs. I have to make gluten-free adjustments and I don't want to cook 2 separate meals for me and my husband. But aside from that here are some MUSTS that we should all want to incorporate into our plan.

GOALS ARE A MUST
how are you going to end up where you want to be if you don't know where you want to go? Goals will focus your efforts and keep you moving in the right direction.

GOALS MUST BE SMART
>specific
>written down
       so they are real and you can see and refer to them
>exciting
>achievable
        you should be ENERGIZED when you think about accomplishing a goal!

DON'T CONFUSE DISAPPOINTMENT WITH DISASTER!
We're gonna mess up.
I'm gonna eat a chocolate bar.
I'm gonna pull a wimpy and skip my work out. I know this about myself.
But I am not going to let it derail me!
I am gonna forgive myself and get back on track.




So, Step 3-- Planning the Solution. Are you ready?
here are today's questions

1. what personal strengths will help you succeed?

2. list your triggers for making poor food choices.

3. how can you manage those triggers more effectively?

4. how can you make good food choices in bad situations?

5. what days of the week will you commit to some kind of exercise program?  what time of the day?

6. what is your weight loss goal for 30 days? how about this week?

7. what are your biggest fears about starting this new plan?

8. how could you proactively address those fears?

9. what part of this plan is exciting for you?