Hey everyone!!
I've been gone from CC for a bit and as much as I'd LOVE to be able to tell you a cool story as my reason, such as witnessing a big shakedown and having to be put into The CC Witness Protection Program (thereby, having to change my username and online identity
), all I can say is that I've been taking care of some rough patches in life (we're all having them, huh?) as well as going on a 3-day fast with a friend.
Although I am not good at fasting from food (though I did cut back considerably, living on small meals such as a glass of milk or bowl of cereal), the main thing I believed God wanted me to give up was... *gulp* being online. GASP!!! No, Lord, please! Not the internet, no!! I am truly ashamed to admit how hard that really was. I kept thinking, "But what if I get an email from so-and-so..." and I love using the net as online library to research various topics of interest, such as recipes and cooking sites.
However, I've also learned that the best way to know if you've developed an unhealthy relationship with something is to try to give it up for a period of time!! Three days... I know that sounds pathetic, but the last day before the fast ended, I was literally pacing the floor, trying to keep myself from firing up the trusty old computer.
BUT, I also have to be blatantly honest in that, during that time, and with the help of a little bout of insomnia, I was able to finish two books I'd started weeks ago and kept meaning to pick up again, read six pages in my Bible study that I'd put off from the week before, went through an entire stack of paperwork on my table, and started on a pair of shorts I'm trying to make for my Mom that I started... embarrassingly... last summer.
I'm always thinking to myself, "If only I had more time!" Obviously, God is telling me I DO have time... I'm just misdirecting it... and at the end of the three days, I was ready to repent.
Now, I know that for some people, giving up online access is impossible, because their careers and livelihood depend on it... but for the rest of us internet "hobbyists"... I just wanted to ask the question:
What could you be doing or accomplishing if you spent less time online?
I've been gone from CC for a bit and as much as I'd LOVE to be able to tell you a cool story as my reason, such as witnessing a big shakedown and having to be put into The CC Witness Protection Program (thereby, having to change my username and online identity
), all I can say is that I've been taking care of some rough patches in life (we're all having them, huh?) as well as going on a 3-day fast with a friend.Although I am not good at fasting from food (though I did cut back considerably, living on small meals such as a glass of milk or bowl of cereal), the main thing I believed God wanted me to give up was... *gulp* being online. GASP!!! No, Lord, please! Not the internet, no!! I am truly ashamed to admit how hard that really was. I kept thinking, "But what if I get an email from so-and-so..." and I love using the net as online library to research various topics of interest, such as recipes and cooking sites.
However, I've also learned that the best way to know if you've developed an unhealthy relationship with something is to try to give it up for a period of time!! Three days... I know that sounds pathetic, but the last day before the fast ended, I was literally pacing the floor, trying to keep myself from firing up the trusty old computer.
BUT, I also have to be blatantly honest in that, during that time, and with the help of a little bout of insomnia, I was able to finish two books I'd started weeks ago and kept meaning to pick up again, read six pages in my Bible study that I'd put off from the week before, went through an entire stack of paperwork on my table, and started on a pair of shorts I'm trying to make for my Mom that I started... embarrassingly... last summer.
I'm always thinking to myself, "If only I had more time!" Obviously, God is telling me I DO have time... I'm just misdirecting it... and at the end of the three days, I was ready to repent.
Now, I know that for some people, giving up online access is impossible, because their careers and livelihood depend on it... but for the rest of us internet "hobbyists"... I just wanted to ask the question:
What could you be doing or accomplishing if you spent less time online?
