from fast to feast

For the past several weeks, I took a hiatus from all things social media (including my dabblings in writing). The intention of saying goodbye to a level of connectivity was simple: less time invested in technology would equal more time enveloped in Scripture. Below are a few main points to summarize a myriad of learnings in this 40 day journey.

1. Fewer status updates = more present minded. I. Love. Updating. My life. I live out loud so often that I feel compelled to share with the Universe the full amount of fun taking place in my life, not out of a desire to boast or seem fancy pants, but truly out of pure love of this massive life we get to LIVE! But something shifted for me in breaking the habit of reaching for my phone - I found a new level of stillness and subsequent enjoyment from a level of privacy I have not previously offered myself (or those around me). I love to feel connected, and in my head...sharing a photo with hundreds of my closest friends seemed (obviously) uber connected. However, I was missing that immediate connection with the individuals right in front of me. Boom. #truthbomb
2. Photos, for the sake of capturing a memory, are a gift. I so often reach for my phone to capture a moment..and let's be real, it will (more than likely) be an instagram moment. #photoobsession. After breaking the habit of photographing for a public share, I found myself capturing moments that really...REALLY...mean something to me. That's right, world. My days of overgramming are (hopefully) behind us. You're welcome.
3. When my mind is freed from connectivity, it is susceptible to new distractions. I learned that I connect to others via photos and writing for many reasons, some fulfilling and well intentioned and some...well...not. I envisioned my time away from social media as some vacation from comparison...a journey into mega life evaluation...time to invest in my marriage and friendships. The reality? Without social media, I was plenty capable of finding additional distractions to fill my time and new means of "life avoidance," as I've come to name it. Time with friends, a deep dive into goals and on track/off track evaluations, and strong connection to Christ beckon more than some time off of a computer. Those elements of our life are matters of the heart, not matters of our time. 
4. Jesus calls in the quiet. Real connection to Scripture - to the Divinely breathed truth of His grace and sovereignty - is the only sustainable solve to an otherwise frantic life of distraction.

We don't (always) need a fast from an element of our life to find the truth He longs for us to know. But for me, the aforementioned element of my life became a hobby, then a habit, and ultimately, an idol. I found identity in false connection and lost sight of the freedom that exists in stillness.

I encourage you to review the dailies in your life, and identify if any one piece of your routine is starting to dictate your calendar. Carefully restructure your time, choose some space, and free yourself from the all too familiar enslavement of routine, busyness, or obligation. Because my friends, He has prepared a feast for His bride...go and sit with Him.

rest. relish. repeat.