This year was the first time in my life that I gave up something for Lent. I didn't know I was going to do it until Ash Wednesday. It wasn't planned. It's like my gut (probably the Holy Spirit) said, "You should give up Facebook for Lent."
So, I did. Facebook is something I really enjoy. Facebook is also a bit of a problem/distraction in my life, and I know it. I had never taken a break from it since I joined back in 2004(!), and I felt like I was long overdue to step back and take a hard look at how I spend my time.
It was hard. I had to take it off my phone, and I had to block the website on my internet browsers because it was second-nature to just go there. I missed it. I felt like I missed a lot of things and important info (like, for example, I missed the announcement that Camp Lawrence is closed this summer—the kids were so looking forward to going again). I learned a few things, though. One thing is this:
Once you're on Facebook, there's really no going completely off of it. People develop the expectation to communicate with you there, so if you're off, you do fall out of touch with people—and that can be either good or bad. I'm not sure which of those is heavier. I think it depends on the day.
I did replace my Facebook time with a Bible study series (
She Reads Truth), work, and an attempt to read real news sources (that was a horrible idea, BTW), for the most part. Our company (G.W. Berkheimer) hosts a trade show for select dealers every couple of years, and we had one on April 11 that we had to prep for. So, it was actually a really good thing Facebook wasn't even on my mind during that time. Also, this was the first time I ever successfully completed an entire Bible study during the Lenten season. A good chunk of it was the entire book of Job, which is always harsh.
This was also the first time that I have ever attended multiple Holy Week church services at our church (
Portage First United Methodist), and we brought the kids with us (Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday on top of regular church services). The kids came out of it with a ton of questions, and it was incredible—Henry especially. The other two kids did, too, but they were marginally less intense with the rapid-fire questions. They were well-behaved throughout—even though I will tell you that Ev is right on the edge of really being able to handle it at age 7. (During the Maundy Thursday communion, he grabbed/dropped at least one other piece of the unleavened bread in the offered basket before settling on a piece that he deemed acceptable. I died. Sorry, Pastor Michael! I did not anticipate his pickiness. Luckily, we were in the last row!)
I was moved by those Holy Week services, by the way. I wish I could've made it to the mid-day ones that week, too (I almost made it to one, but I was just a little too late). Andrew said he went to the one on Good Friday that was from 2:30 to 3 p.m. (for his lunch break that day), and Pastor Michael talked about the hour of Jesus' death. He said it was really powerful, and I was sitting at my desk at home working all day. The Good Friday service that night did move me to tears a few times—especially when the whole church sat in silence. It's unbelievable how silence like that can allow the weight and the reality of everything to come crashing down on you. It's that feeling that transcends all need for physical and visual proof. It's real. He's real. It happened.
After all, I'm glad to be back on Facebook once more. I missed being in touch with the rest of the world. I hope I'm a little better about managing it in my life moving forward. I'm going to try, anyway. I'll leave you with some photo highlights of my Facebook/Lent hiatus.
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This is Nora with Lil Falk after her school play, James and the Giant Peach.
She blew us away with her performance as Miss Spider.
And, I can't say enough about how much we love Lil Falk. |
