Dear First name / friend,
Thank you for being part of a community of encouragers!
I would like to share a personal story with you.
This season hasn't been easy for me. While I used to look forward to the beginnings of the Spring season figuratively and literally as a time of rebirth and regrowth, this year has been a little different for me.
This year, I participated in 40 days of prayer and fasting along with many members of my church family. I'll admit that there were days and even weeks during this journey when I didn't feel like anything good or productive was emerging from within me or if I would feel and see a difference in my life. I did my best to pray daily and fast from a list things. One of them was social media.
I deleted Facebook, Instagram and other social networking apps. At first, the realization that I didn't need to be on an app to still compare myself to someone else, or that an app wasn't the only way I could waste time during the day was a tough lesson. Most of all though, I recognized that I had a lot of spiritual work to do. I knew I wanted to become more dedicated to living for Jesus and this time of fast and prayer would help me learn how.
So, I focused the time I would normally spend on one of these platforms on other things that would require me to truly attend the present moment and connect with people I choose to speak to face to face. I started to break free from the habit of peering through a glass screen at the lives of influencers and “once-upon-a-time” friends just to grab the next Amazon deal or wish I could have what (it looks like) they have. The cool thing is that when I slowed down to pray and spend more time with supportive people, I realized that all of what I once wished for I had already been given by God.
Those gifts just need to be rescued from the back of my closet and dusted off… and used. Precious abilities, abundant circumstances, freed up time - all there waiting for me to act. Waiting for me to remember that I was given these gifts to serve others in His name.
