Hands Free Mama

I guess it's time I posted about my little experience with my media fast for the month of May.  Now that it is over, I can say it was a good experiment.  Not totally realistic to keep up for a long amount of time.  Just because of this technological day and age.

There were times I really enjoyed it.  And there were times I was so frustrated.  I felt like I was being grounded or something.  I might've even mumbled, "It's not fair!"  Wow!  Hello, teenager self!

As I was going through the month I was also reading a Proverb a day.  In case you don't know, Proverbs is all about wisdom.  So, I began to pray for God to give me more wisdom and I was specific in using what I was reading in Proverbs.

By the end of the month I had convinced myself that I didn't really have a problem with media at all, and would this month just hurry up and be over so that I can get on with my facebooking, instagramming, pinteresting, blog-reading, texting, radio-blaring, TV show-watching life already?

Then I read Proverbs 25.  And the last verse totally knocked me over.  It reads...

Whoever has no rule over his own spirit
Is like a city broken down, without walls.

This was my lesson for the month.  This is what God wanted to teach me!   I was getting to the point where I was really frustrated because I felt like I wasn't doing anything bad with media, so why was I even doing this fast anyways and I was ready to be done. 

God showed me that yes, I was using media for good things (texting encouragement, listening to wayfm, not watching bad stuff on tv, etc.) but what I really needed to open my eyes to was how much time I was spending on it and how it was taking away from my family.  That part of it was out of control!  And a broken down city without walls is a city that allows anything to come in and take over.  

I need to have discipline and I need to be wiser about using that discipline for how much time I spend on media before my walls are broken down and I allow anything in to take over.  Not only because of the time spent on it, but good things can quickly turn to bad.  Does any of that make sense?  I have gone through all different emotions this month regarding this fast, but God, gracious God, has brought me through and helped me look in and see exactly what needs to change and how. 


And so now, here we are  halfway through June, and you know what?  I have totally gone back to how I was before the fast.  How quickly we learn a lesson and how quickly we forget.


So this is when intentionality comes into play.  Starting today, I am going to really watch how much time I spend on media, especially my phone.  I never want my kids to think my phone is more important to me than them.


I really like the things I've been reading on Hands Free Mama.  I think she is totally onto something.


This post is especially inspiring me!  I may just have to come up with our own contract!


I can't say that things will magically change.  I know myself, and I always have good intentions, but rarely reach them at all.  But the media fast showed me that I absolutely can do with out, and I absolutely can have self-control.  Given to me by God.


Without Him, I would so give into all my selfish desires.  I almost always do anyways.  Even with Him.  I'm working on that.  At least trying to.  Including media.


Just keepin' it real.