Social media is great isn’t it? It keeps us in touch with the world around us, helps us stay connected to our friends, and even leads us to discover new things like mouth watering recipes or little life hacks.
I have a great appreciation for social platforms since I live in another country. But unfortunately, I often find my thumb pressing the mini Instagram icon any free minute I have. And yes, I sometimes catch myself scrolling through reel after reel for more hours than I would to admit.
When I reach this point, I know it is time to practice some discipline and delete the app that calls for my attention. So that is just what I did. I took a little break from social media. And here is what happened… my heart changed.
I have found that media can fuel discontentment. Media can lead us into a cycle of comparison where we are unable to celebrate what God is doing in our own lives because we are too busy chasing after someone else’s life. Which by the way, their life may be completely different off screen than what they are portraying on screen.
Technology is just a huge piece of our society today. No matter where you live. I always tease that babies come out of the womb knowing how to navigate a device. And I see it. I see it in my classroom full of fourth graders who have low attention spans and a constant desire to be entertained by a screen. I see it even when I hang out with friends. We cannot go a few minutes without checking our phone.
I will be honest with you, eliminating social media from my phone was freeing for me.
I found that I was no longer drawn to pick up the device any free second I had.
I started filling my time more with Jesus. I would talk to Him more throughout the day or desire to be in the Word more.
I was more present with those I was with.
I wasn’t as negative or complain-y.
I started noticing the little blessings that God gives us each day.
God was doing some heart surgery on me.
One of the most noticeable differences was that I started to feel more gratitude. It is easy to be grumpy about things. But I believe that it can be harder to choose to see the good.
While taking a break from Instagram, I have had moments where I just look around our home and see God’s hand over us. We may not have all we want or think we need, but we have never lacked anything. I have had other moments where Alan and I are sitting in silence, and I look at him and smile thinking, “Wow Lord, you really did give me the man of my prayers.” Tears welled up in my eyes because when I am not so connected to my phone, I am more attentive to see the hand of God in different aspects of my life.
If we are not careful, discontentment can sneak its way into our minds then slowly creep its way down into our hearts. I believe that a huge piece of this dissatisfaction comes more from the fact that we often fill our time more with staring at a screen than reading through the pages of Scripture or talking to Jesus. I know I was distracted from my Jesus time by the buzz of my phone and little notifications that would pop up. Taking a hiatus from social media really reset my heart to be more content and recognize the ways that God is present in my every day. And boy, did I need that reset!
Journey to Dominican 