A Different Kind of Fast

I’m crazy about Facebook. Unlike many detractors of our social media culture, I don’t believe Facebook represents the decline of civilization, is the root of all evil, or is the single most likely factor in the destruction of the next generation. I relish the opportunities Facebook gives me to connect with high school classmates, keep in touch with friends I made when my kids were growing up, and cheer on the young people I love as they set out on their respective journeys to adulthood. My writing community, including my friends here at The Glorious Table, is one of the greatest gifts in my life, and I met them all through online connections.

Yet despite all the gifts I receive from social media, my relationship status with Facebook would still best be described as “complicated.” In fact, a few years ago I made the decision to fast from Facebook during the forty days of Lent.

For me, Lent is about spiritual spring cleaning. As Easter approaches, I like to take inventory of where I am in my journey with God. What’s working as I seek to hear God’s voice and live out my faith in my day-to-day life? What gets in the way of me seeing him at work? What spiritual practices bring God’s will and Word into greater focus? Where have I blurred that vision with distractions that draw my gaze elsewhere?

[Tweet “What’s working as you seek to hear God’s voice and live out your faith in your day-to-day life?”]

As I consider those and other questions, I naturally consider how I spend my time. Because I work from home, I have a large degree of flexibility in how I plan my days. Most of what I do can be done in the order and with the priority I choose. I often find myself taking care of my responsibilities, both personal and professional, without any clear deadlines. Although I relish the freedom this provides, it’s also easy for me to become distracted by what might not reflect the priorities I say I value most.

This brings me back to Facebook.

My relationship with social media can sometimes become too much of a good thing. When I dig a little deeper, I find two primary ways Facebook can become less than positive if I don’t pay close attention.

A tool for procrastination

If I’m not careful, social media can become a seductive and hypnotizing time waster. The life-giving conversation with my friend about her new grandbaby inexplicably detours down a meandering path to a video of baby pigs playing in a bathtub (true story). While I love connecting with my people and even enjoy an occasional cute animal video, I admit my time on Facebook can easily deteriorate into a vehicle for procrastination. Checking my Facebook newsfeed repeatedly becomes a reflex no longer about community or connection, but a way of putting off finishing edits or completing mundane tasks.

In some cases, too much time scrolling can even be a way of numbing and ignoring difficult feelings that might be an invitation to do important heart work or make significant changes in my circumstances. Procrastination and numbing, left unattended for too long, leave me feeling rushed and overwhelmed by my life, which is not a place I choose to live.

A substitute for deeper connection

If I’m not intentional about how I use Facebook, my online activities become a shortcut in my attempts to meet important emotional and spiritual needs. Because I don’t work in an office, I’m alone a great deal of the day. Alone can be good, until it isn’t. Naturally extroverted, I find I sometimes go to Facebook to connect to friends and find community when what I really need is to call a friend to meet for coffee or spend time with family. Spending too much time connecting online is like being famished and choosing to eat a candy bar instead of sitting down for a healthy meal. It satiates the hunger for the short term, but it doesn’t provide long-term sustenance. Yes, Facebook interactions can be part of our community, but they can’t become substitutes for face-to-face community. I need to consider equally how much I’m investing in face-to-face time with my family, my friends, myself through my writing, and with God through study and prayer.

My fast from Facebook showed me the power of paying attention and being intentional about my choices. Breaking the habit of continually checking my phone showed me how often I reach for it when I’m bored or lonely. Taking an occasional inventory of the ways I use this powerful tool makes me appreciate it even more for the power of good gifts social media brings to my life.

Kelly Johnson is a counselor, writer, speaker, and advocate. She leads a weekly Bible study and serves as chair of the board of directors at a local shelter for the homeless. Married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mom of two college-age daughters. Kelly writes about life, faith, and her newly empty nest at kellyiveyjohnson.com.

Photograph © Sarah Dorweiler, used with permission

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