Unplugged...
I am honored to be apart of Unashamed Impact!! My first blog piece provides amazing insight on how social media can affect every area of your life!
Unplugged… (How Social Media Almost Ruined My Self-Esteem and my Relationship with Christ)
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
1 John 2:15-17 NIV
Log Out. Tap. Hold. Delete. Repeat
Unplug. Disconnect. Delete. Log Out.
Oh what joy to unplug from the things that so easily distract us. Snapchat & Instagram had ultimately become the things that consumed so much of my time.
It amazes me how social media had become my go to when boredom would strike. But eventually it was the first thing I did once I opened my eyes. I would immediately roll over and reach for my phone, turn the brightness down and start checking my notifications.
Those red icons had to be cleared before leaving my bed. I discovered I had a problem when I would be more concerned with checking the number of "likes, views and screenshots" I received rather than reading the verse of the day.
I realized my issue with social media could easily be traced back to the validation I expected to receive from others. Social media kept me occupied when I was bored & it helped me procrastinate when I needed to complete a project.
It was something about those likes and the amount of views I received that would ultimately determine if that photo was good enough. But see the thing about it is that no matter how many filters I threw on my photos or snapchat story, if I didn't love myself or have confidence who I was it never really mattered.
Social media became the way I would stay updated on the gossip sites, sports, entertainment issues and the news and before I realized it, days would pass before I opened my bible.
But life has a way of getting your attention! God used my "social media distraction" to show me how meaningless the "outside opinion" really was. I was challenged to log out and delete every app that was causing me to lose focus.
I started with Instagram and later moved on to Snapchat. During my "unplugged" season I began to carve out time in my schedule to spend with God. I dug deep within myself and dealt with the reasons behind my distraction. Through prayer and reading the word I discovered that if I didn't speak words of affirmation over myself then I would begin to seek it from outside sources.
I began to love the world and everything it had to offer me. I would go to social media before I would get on my knees and pray to God. It was becoming my idol; it was becoming the thing that would numb the pain. Social media gave me the attention that I was craving, it was my platform, and it was my way of bragging when deep down inside I was miserable. When you stand in the mirror and look at yourself you don’t see the comments, the likes, the views, you simply see yourself. I had to find what it was about me that I loved. What the world saw was only the things I decided to post, it wasn’t the true authentic me it was the projection of who I wanted people to see. The real me was broken, hurt, distracted, tired, overwhelmed and ultimately running from the one things God called me to do. The real me wasn’t pleased with how I had idolized social media and that alone caused me to regain focus on Christ.
I wish I could say that I never get distracted by social media anymore but that would be a lie. I instead reprogrammed myself & I have to constantly remind myself that not everything needs to be broadcasted. The world doesn't need a sneak peek of my devotional routine; and I no longer stage the perfect photo or try to get the best angle.
Unplugging from social media was the best thing I could've done.
I challenge you to take a look at your life & start dealing with those hidden issues. No amount of likes, views, screenshots or comments are going to fill the void that is in your heart. . Eliminate the distraction & focus on the creator.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
1 John 2:15-17 NIV
Log Out. Tap. Hold. Delete. Repeat
Unplug. Disconnect. Delete. Log Out.
Oh what joy to unplug from the things that so easily distract us. Snapchat & Instagram had ultimately become the things that consumed so much of my time.
It amazes me how social media had become my go to when boredom would strike. But eventually it was the first thing I did once I opened my eyes. I would immediately roll over and reach for my phone, turn the brightness down and start checking my notifications.
Those red icons had to be cleared before leaving my bed. I discovered I had a problem when I would be more concerned with checking the number of "likes, views and screenshots" I received rather than reading the verse of the day.
I realized my issue with social media could easily be traced back to the validation I expected to receive from others. Social media kept me occupied when I was bored & it helped me procrastinate when I needed to complete a project.
It was something about those likes and the amount of views I received that would ultimately determine if that photo was good enough. But see the thing about it is that no matter how many filters I threw on my photos or snapchat story, if I didn't love myself or have confidence who I was it never really mattered.
Social media became the way I would stay updated on the gossip sites, sports, entertainment issues and the news and before I realized it, days would pass before I opened my bible.
But life has a way of getting your attention! God used my "social media distraction" to show me how meaningless the "outside opinion" really was. I was challenged to log out and delete every app that was causing me to lose focus.
I started with Instagram and later moved on to Snapchat. During my "unplugged" season I began to carve out time in my schedule to spend with God. I dug deep within myself and dealt with the reasons behind my distraction. Through prayer and reading the word I discovered that if I didn't speak words of affirmation over myself then I would begin to seek it from outside sources.
I began to love the world and everything it had to offer me. I would go to social media before I would get on my knees and pray to God. It was becoming my idol; it was becoming the thing that would numb the pain. Social media gave me the attention that I was craving, it was my platform, and it was my way of bragging when deep down inside I was miserable. When you stand in the mirror and look at yourself you don’t see the comments, the likes, the views, you simply see yourself. I had to find what it was about me that I loved. What the world saw was only the things I decided to post, it wasn’t the true authentic me it was the projection of who I wanted people to see. The real me was broken, hurt, distracted, tired, overwhelmed and ultimately running from the one things God called me to do. The real me wasn’t pleased with how I had idolized social media and that alone caused me to regain focus on Christ.
I wish I could say that I never get distracted by social media anymore but that would be a lie. I instead reprogrammed myself & I have to constantly remind myself that not everything needs to be broadcasted. The world doesn't need a sneak peek of my devotional routine; and I no longer stage the perfect photo or try to get the best angle.
Unplugging from social media was the best thing I could've done.
I challenge you to take a look at your life & start dealing with those hidden issues. No amount of likes, views, screenshots or comments are going to fill the void that is in your heart. . Eliminate the distraction & focus on the creator.
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