There are moments when I’m standing in one place and really taking in what’s before me, that I feel like in my mind…time starts to slow down. In October of 2019, my wife and I went on a day long hike in the Mountains of Colorado. We were celebrating our anniversary and enjoying time together amongst nature and Gods creation. The rocky terrain of the mounts and peaks of Colorado were just as advertised and the sprawling expanse of firs, pines, spruce, and aspen trees filled our eyes with depth and color no painting can accurately capture.
It was during this hike that we discovered multiple lakes, with bodies of water, colored the deepest of blues. The higher we hiked, the colder the weather became, but the more invigorated our spirits seemed to transform. A sort of sharpness filled our minds and a sense of focus took over our every step, breath, and gaze. There were many moments that we would stop and just look…totally overcome by the beauty and never-ending vastness of our creators creation.
We felt so small…but never more free.
We were together…and our memories recorded the awe we felt in the deep of the big mountains.
I’m so thankful that Courtney and I had this time together, and even more thankful that we let ourselves share in these moments…just the two of us. I think many would agree that these instances in time are much too few, but always life enhancing and beautiful. Some might even say, FACEBOOK WORTHY.
It’s been over two years since my wife and I logged into Facebook and our other social media accounts…and for those that have wondered why…the experience I wrote about above is one of the many reasons we disconnected. Can you even imagine interrupting such an experience with a Facebook post? And yet, part of me thinks we might have, had we not left social media in November of 2017. I think such an action had become NORMAL and maybe even a little important to us at one point in our lives.
Now don’t get me wrong…we did take pictures on those beautiful mountains…many in fact…but not for social medias sake or the need to get that next dopamine fix that it easily provides. We wanted to capture what we were experiencing in the moment…for ourselves…so that years down the road when we can’t hike such places anymore; we can relive our adventures once more…even if from a picture album.
Listen, I could list so many reasons why we made the decision to leave social media, but honestly; they’re probably reasoning’s you’ve heard from other sources (who left social media) many times before, so I won’t go into great depths and rehash what you may already know. There were pros and cons that we considered, but in the end, the reasons to walk away tipped the scales…and so we did.
For me, I had reached a place where overcoming the negativity and senselessness social media provided was no longer possible. It was an influence of culture that I let seep into my heart and begin to taint the corners of my mind, actions, and words. I fought many times to win that battle…but I didn’t fight them in the right way. There was an immaturity within me that was holding me up. I started becoming more skeptical, more doubtful, less trusting, and developing a more flippant and angry attitude by the day.
What started to worry me most, was that all this negativity was becoming easier for me to be a part of and easier to express. I wasn’t really even thinking about things anymore…I just REACTED to whatever came my way.
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.”
--Romans 12: 1-2 (MSG)
Seeing the writing on the wall, I knew I had to make the decision to step away from social media. I had let it become a part of my life I needed to sever….at least until I learned to approach it differently…from the inside out.
I’ll admit, at first, my time away from Facebook was tough. I didn’t miss the negative aspects of it, but I did miss the interaction I shared with friends and family, and really, that was a major reality check. The fact that Facebook and other forms of social media has become the way the world interacts. More than phone calls. More than text messages. More than snail mail and even physical visits or video conferencing. Social media has become the way people share their lives with one another. I figured that out rather quickly.
My next reality check was that it didn’t take long to get used to social media being out of my life. No really…I’m serious…that part went a lot easier than I expected. I found ways to fill in the moments I used for social media before and having that extra time was refreshing. I accomplished more and shared in more moments with my wife and kids. Before too long, I didn’t even think about social media regularly. The disconnect was really nice.
“Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)
So am I ready to be a part of social media again?
I believe so…but I’m not going to approach it as I did before. I’ve created boundaries for myself with regards to Facebook; the biggest one being that my time will be very limited on the medium. I don’t want Facebook to take away from the moments of my life that mean much more to me. I look forward to connecting with friends and family again, but I’m also reintroducing myself to Facebook in order to prepare for the inevitable day that my daughters ask to have their own accounts. I know that day will be here before we know it…and I want to be able to show them how to wield social media in a way that’s purposeful and not hindering to their growth.
I’ve signed back into Facebook and from what I’ve seen…a lot has changed in over two years. I have much to learn but mostly I have much to be responsible for. Will things work out with me and social media again? I honestly can’t say…we’ll see how it goes.
Somewhere in me there is strength.
Somewhere in me there is strength.
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