40 Days

For Lent this year, I decided to give up Facebook. It seemed like am impossible sacrifice, and that I was setting myself up for failure. But I felt like I was being called to do so this year.

I'll be honest, the first few days were tough. I found myself typing in facebook.com without even thinking as soon as I opened by browser. I would stare at the Facebook icon on my phone and have to will myself not to press it. I have had to go on a few times to respond to some emails, but I have managed to pretty much keep to my Lenten sacrifice.

One thing I have learned is that I spend a lot of time on Facebook. A lot. In just the first week of Lent, I have gotten around to several projects around the house that I always claim I just don't have time for. Organizing photos, organizing my pantry, going through old magazines. It's not that I didn't have time for them, I just spent so much time on Facebook.

Do I miss being on Facebook more? Yes, I do. Other the past 5 years, I have formed true friendships with women all around the US. I haven't met many of them in person, but they are friends I hold close to my heart. Facebook is one of the main ways I cultivate these friendships. I miss sharing videos and photos so that our family, the closest being several hundred miles away, can keep up with what the kids are up to.

But I don't miss the drama. I don't miss the politics. I don't miss getting into debates with people I don't know. I'm sure that giving up time on Facebook will not last past Lent. But I hope I remember the lessons I've already learned and spend less time on there than before. It's been good for me, and for my family.