Thursday, August 1, 2013

Saying goodbye to Facebook...

I did it!! I took that step and didn't look back...

I deactivated my Facebook account. 

I don't think Facebook or other social media sites are a bad thing. I happen to love posting pictures on my Instagram account. 

My problem was, I checked my Facebook too much. I checked it every morning. Before we ate breakfast. During the kids' nap time. It seemed like every free moment I'd get, I would check my Facebook. Then, those moments when I was actually doing something constructive, I'd hear a notification beep that someone "liked" a post or I had a new message, I would drop what I was doing to see what it was. I felt that I was spending more time with my "social family" than my real family. 

I had been contemplating deactivating it for a while, but I could never get over that fear of being disconnected. 

That is, until the other day. 

I was checking Facebook for what was probably the 100th time that day. It was nighttime and I was just going to see if anything had changed in the last 5 minutes...just one last time before bed. I was compelled by the Holy Spirit because I truly heard Him say why not read your Bible instead of looking at this AGAIN?...I made an excuse..just one more scroll.

I stopped. I knew I need to listen to The Lord. I needed to refocus on what's important. I always have good intentions of setting limits and sticking to them. 

"I'll only check it once a day" or "30 minutes of Facebook and that's it"

I never would stick with it and I always ended up back to being my facebook junkie self. 

NOT ANYMORE!!  I needed to take the steps to just be done with it. It was time to go. 

Of course I tried reasoning with myself. 

"I won't be able to talk to my friends" my true friends have my phone number and I talk to them almost daily. 

"I won't see their pictures" I have Instagram and most of my friends do too. 

"I catch up on my favorite blogs/sites, I'll miss the new posts" I've subscribed or favorited my favorite blog sites so new posts won't be too hard to find. 

I just did it. After praying and seeking comfort, I knew my life wasn't ending. I officially deactivated my Facebook account. 

I have to say, it has been so freeing. Not running for my iPhone at the alert of every notification. When I get down time, instead of checking social sites, I clean something or I actually take the time to read my Bible. 

I don't know what my neighbors had for breakfast or what old classmates are doing today, but that's okay. I DO know what I'm doing and what my family is doing and that is taking a little more time to enjoy each other. 

To God alone be the glory!!

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 


Baby Update: I'll be 14 weeks this week. I'm finally starting to feel a little less nauseous in the mornings. PRAISE GOD!! I had my first appointment with our midwife and our little blessing sounds happy and healthy. I look forward to my 2nd trimester and to that moment when I feel those first true kicks. That's always my favorite part of pregnancy. (smile)


With love, 

Kristina 




20 comments:

  1. I have been struggling with the same thing. I am constantly stuck in my phone. My excuse has been that I need it for my reviews to be linked to, or to help generate traffic to my blog. The reality is, I am just plain addicted. Thank you so much for your testimony. I will be following your lead!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not easy at first, but that need to check Facebook does go away :) Thank you for your encouragement and your support. God bless you Michelle :)

      Delete
  2. Why is it scary? It is necessary for me I am in the same boat checking facebook during downtimes instead of engaging with my family. Thank you for this post as I consider disconnecting myself for the same reasons, my REAL friends & family are alive and breathing and need an undistracted friend & Mama! God Bless you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment :) It is scary for some reason, but being "free" feels fantastic!!

      Delete
  3. Clicked your post from Raising Arrows :)

    I did the same thing over a year ago. It was a MAJOR time waster for me, not to mention when I'm online I become oblivious to whatever trouble my children are getting into. :/ It's been a process, but quitting facebook has been the beginning. God has been helping my priotize better and even manage to stay off the internet for days at a time! Anyone in my family knows that is some sort of a miracle! My husband still has a Facebook account and I did spend too much time chatting with a close family member to avoid using all our texts, but that had to stop as I was getting sucked in again. It is so worth it to me to be able to spend time with my children and not worry about who is doing what. Like you said, my true friends have my phone number/email/address/etc., and have kept up. :) I have been meaning to write a similar blog post as you just wrote, one day I might get it done. But for now I am busy teaching my children and growing closer to the Lord.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Praise God!! Keep up the awesome work Naomi. Our children will be appreciate us for the extra time we are devoting to them instead of our Facebook pages :) Thank you for your comment and your support!!

      Delete
  4. Awesome! I'm starting Sarah Mae's UNWIRED challenge tomorrow. Curious to see how it will go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll have to check out Sarah Mae's challenge. Thanks Gabby for the info :)

      Delete
  5. I love this!! You've done a wonderful thing! In the "old days," when my children were young, there was no such thing as a home computer, let alone facebook. It certainly does take so much away from family.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well done! I deactivated my account in February and have never once looked back! I, like you, found it too distracting. I kept hearing the Lord tel me to quit, to spend more time with Him, to have my children see me reading the BIBLE instead of checking facebook and that nailed it for me. Done! I was over facebook so fast.
    {I think it's actually rather sad that it is such a topic of conversation ... I prefer to hear news and good tidings the old fashioned way.}
    I'm waiting for all my super close friends to quit facebook but so far, they are sticking it out. Glad to hear of another mom who ditched the world of Facebook.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I too did this about 3 years ago and have never regretted my decision. God bless...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I applaud you for following the Lord's leading in your life! Personally, I only find Facebook detrimental if one starts playing the games (ugh, TRUST me on this one being a MAJOR time suck if you haven't experienced it!), or follows too many people and places. With the way I have my FB set up now, it would actually take me MORE time to catch up with everything without it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congratulations! I've been unwanting to have a facebook just because I knew I would probably spend too much time on it. My husband has it and he shares important things with me when he sees them, but we say if it's important they will call or e-mail.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I found your post through Raising Arrows as well and am so encouraged and convicted by it. I don't have kids yet, but pray that one day I will, and I figure now is as good of time as any to start making good habits. More than anything I want to stop ignoring those little whispers by the Spirit, because no Facebook post is worth ignoring the Lord. Thanks for the encouragement and example!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I killed my Facebook account over two years ago, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Like you, I felt convicted about the time wasting and distraction of it. Also, I began to realize how much it fed (or damaged) my vanity to post certain things and wait for responses from people. It is something I am better off without!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi! I also found your blog through Raising Arrows. Good for you! I also deleted my Facbook back in March and have not looked back. It was SO freeing! I was an "updater" for my "friends" since we live FAR away from our family and friends. I used this as my excuse to update and keep FB. Then the conviction was TOO overwhelming and for me, I had to obey His direction for me and our family.

    I do want to say, you may not know (I didn't know), "Deactivating" only puts your account to "Sleep". You are always able to reactivate it by signing in again. Your account will be just as you left it. I activated, and deactivated many times. Yet, in March I deleted for good. First by deleting ALL photos, messages act since they would aways remain in FB. If you want to delete and not just deactivate, just google how to permanently delete FB. It's easy and I really feel GONE from FB now and so thankful too.

    We are also expecting baby number five, congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you ladies for your comments and your support!! It makes it easier knowing I'm not alone :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. You'll like her section on modesty :)
    http://followerofchristsblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/10-fresh-reasons-for-modesty.html?m=1

    ReplyDelete