To Lead a Quiet Life...

It's been a long time coming. I have thought about doing it so many times but something always changed my mind. Working with youth and wanting to stay in touch with them. Wanting to see photos of new babies or wedding photos or just being curious about where and how people are doing. Not wanting to feel like I was going to be "out of the loop" or becoming a total hermit. I am tired of excuses though and so in the last little while I have "unfriended" a whole bunch of people.

Facebook. I have nothing against it. I like the idea of it. Of staying in touch and getting back in touch. Of having glimpses into the lives of others and being part of groups where I may learn some things and accumulate some knowledge to be used in the future. I have seen great things happen on Facebook like people from all over the world joining together in prayer for a man who was in a fight for his life and being part of the miracle when those prayers were answered and he was able to go home healthier in some ways than before. I have laughed lots at the jokes and cute videos that go around. I have read some interesting health articles and found lots of great recipes and been able to share probably too many photos of our little blessing. I have cried and had my heart touched by some of the stories shared. The flip side to all of that though is getting bogged down and wrapped up in lives that I otherwise wouldn't know about. I have been thinking so much about it lately and just how easy it is for me to waste time reading about other people's lives and doings and busyness and heartaches and joys and frustrations and peeves and bad attitudes when I have my own life to be living.

There are a couple of verses that have always been a favourite of mine and I read through them again tonight. It pretty much sums all of this up better than any words I could say...

"...and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly towards outsiders and not be in any need."  
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

So for those of you that I was friends with on Facebook please don't be offended that I have "unfriended" you. It isn't you it's me and it's me wanting to live a quiet life attending to my own business and working with my hands and living my life and devoting my time and attention to my family and interests. I have kept all my immediate family as "friends" but that is it for now.

I am hoping to start blogging more again. I have missed writing and don't really have a reason why I haven't been doing it and you would think that giving up Facebook wouldn't make that big of a difference but 20 minutes here and there sure adds up!

It is quite surprising really how much better I have felt about life in the last week since making this decision. It is freeing in a way and I realized just how much time I have spent on there and how much I let things that I read on there affect me and the way I thought about people or situations. It is such a pretend reality. People thinking that they know others just because of what is posted. Anyways, I am done with it in the capacity that I was using it and am looking forward to writing more and not wasting so much time!

Here is the best reason of all to stop wasting my time!