Sometimes you just have to pull back

 
I have always appreciated technology, but I am also of the belief that too much of one thing, is bad.

And I'm about to say something that will probably shock some of you.

I think Facebook is a very negative influence.

There, I said it.

Now you don't have to agree with me, matter of fact, you don't even have to like what I said, but that's ok, it's my opinion and we can just agree to disagree.

When I first made the decision to get into Facebook, it was a "everyone is doing it, so I'm going as well" kind of thing.  Right there I should have known that it was going to be a bad idea.

But I never would have completely understood just how much of a bad idea it was, until I spent some time on it, and did I ever.  Sometimes it become almost an addiction, when I had a few spare moments, I would find myself on there reading, scrolling, refreshing, seeing what everyone was up to.

 
The more time I spent on it, the more I became aware that it was like being back in high school.  There are certain little cliques and little groups.  There are the bullies who do nothing but complain, insult and abuse people while putting a little LOL word at the end, as if that gives them the right to say what they want.

And I also realized that negativity breeds negativity.

I found myself disliking it more and more, spending less time on there, but all the while praying fervently.  Was I feeling the pull of the Holy Spirit to separate myself from this atmosphere because it was bad for me, or was I just bored with it?

At first, I thought boredom.  Honestly, if you're on Facebook you know that it's not exactly the most exciting place to be, when you dissect it to the core, there is not much going on there, other than the same people everyday, posting pictures, cussing, accusing, fighting, etc.

More and more I felt the pull to "let it go....walk away, this is NOT for you and it's not good for your soul".  But I resisted, because I'm human and because even after 38 years of being alive, I still think I know what's best for me above God.  Big mistake.  When will I learn?

Funny thing is, God knows me better than anyone, and He knows that if He had just told me from the get go to get out of there because it's not good for me, I wouldn't have done so.  I am one of those people that needs to slam her head against something for a while before it starts sinking in.

Years folks, I was on Facebook for years, but for the past year and a half I have had a push and pull relationship with this place.  If you friended me on there, you will know that I have said countless times that I needed a break from it...I also took said breaks many times, only to come back again.

The only thing I can think of, is that I wasn't ready to walk away.  But I am now.

Boy am I ever!

So Saturday night, I deleted most of my photo albums on Facebook, I have but 6 left on there and it's mostly just my crochet and food pictures.  But those will come down eventually too.

When I logged out on Saturday, I knew it was IT for me, I knew that this time it was for real.  I could feel it deep down in my soul.

I haven't been back since then and I would have thought that just like all previous times, I would be missing it by now, but I really am not.

I don't miss it, I don't wonder what's going on or who is on, I don't care....I can't put it any better than that, quite frankly....I.DON'T.CARE.

And it's such a freeing feeling.

To know that my time is well spent completely devoted to my family and to my home and to myself.  I have neglected ME for so long.  All those extra moments I have in between home caring, and children teaching and husband supporting......all of those that I could have given to myself, I gave to a place that does not deserve it, that has never been worth it, and has never rewarded me in any possible way.

I'm free!

I can say from the bottom of my heart that I feel freer than I have felt in many years.  It's like my soul is bursting out of my body, wanting to soar, to explore, to be itself.  And really, who am I to deny that???


So you may wonder what this all means for my blog pages on Facebook.  It means nothing really, I don't post much on those as it is, so they'll stay up for now, just like I'll leave my personal one up because I have all my family on there.

It was never a matter of deleting Facebook completely, it was a matter of showing myself that I don't need it, it can be there, but it doesn't mean I have to use it and it certainly doesn't define who I am.

I'm just glad to be free of all that negativity and that nonsense, I don't want to in any way be associated with it, or even worse, be known as one of *those people on Facebook*.

Thank you Lord for showing me the way!
 

All images credit Tumblr