More: Being Present

I have a habit that I just can’t stop. I do it before I even get out of bed most mornings. I do it before I go to sleep every night. When I’m waiting in line, waiting for my professor to start class, or sometimes when I’m even in the middle of a conversation with someone I do it subconsciously. I am constantly checking social media. Honestly, I don’t even know why I do it so much. Do I really care about what I’m reading or is it just what my generation does? This month I’ve decided I no longer want my nose in my phone all the time. This month I’m signing off my social media accounts. I want to be present and I want to get my self-esteem back.

I can remember specific moments recently where someone has been in a conversation with me and we are both having the conversation physically, but mentally we are checked out and scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I am DONE being that person. Thinking of all the meaningful conversations I just write off because I’m too busy looking at what other people are doing makes my heart hurt.  I could be sharing the gospel with someone, but I’m too occupied with someone’s ability to capture the perfect picture of a sunset. God is not being glorified when I am half-heartedly present and half-heartedly in the “cyber world.” I want to give my friends, family, and strangers my full attention. I also can’t even count the high number of times I have started a conversation with “Did you see {insert something on social media here} today? Look how many like they got!”

Which leads me to another reason why I am no longer going to waste hours of my day focused on others’ lives. I have caught myself lately comparing my profiles to others’. How many likes did this picture get? Wait, why didn’t she like my picture? I wish I had that many followers/retweets…STOP! I can only imagine God’s laughter at me when I even think of comparing myself to them, when I am perfect in His eyes. But I can’t help it, right? I live in a world that pressures me to look my best, be my best, and be the best, so I must succumb to the standards of this world. Wrong. When God was anointing David as king he told him, “For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) This is still true today! I don’t want to look for my worth in the number of likes I get on a selfie. I want to find my worth in the Lord again.

I don’t say these things because I think social media is a bad thing. I am only repeating what others have said before me, too much of it is a bad thing. In my life I have too much of it. There is only one thing I want excess of in this world. Jesus. 

To Him be the glory,

Chelsea