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You are here: Home / About In the Margin / Eight Months In–Not Going Back

Eight Months In–Not Going Back

June 2, 2014 By Holly Smith 8 Comments

So it’s been eight months since I left social media. How’s it going? Do you miss everyone? Will you come back?

Wonderfully

Yes, of course!

Definitely not.

It’s been so freeing to just be…not think, “Wow. I should take a picture and post this on Facebook.” Or “Ha ha! How funny.  How can I tell this in less words on Twitter?”

The age we live in is training us to spout out every little thing that happens.  And truly? We are building a lot of sand castles.

For when life happens…and it does.

And when life happens hard…and it will.

People we connect with in social media care on various levels. As much as they care (or don’t) it is never enough to cover our cavernous hurts, needs and pains. They just can’t.

When real life happens, who will be there for us, AND be enough for us to really help, but God alone?

He is the only One who understands the depths and can fully go there with us. Be there FOR us.

And news, even juicy bits of news, cannot satisfy.

Pictures do not tell the whole story.

Articles do not often give the complete picture, but are created to spin us into a tizzy sometimes.

We care more about someone’s plight–a person  we don’t know at all–than we do about the need next door.

We like to care from afar. For if we come too close to the need, even walk with someone through it, we may not come out smelling as sweet as we’d like.  We might even incur judgment from others for even caring for them in a way that gets our hands dirty, too.

We are missing the point sometimes. Missing out on truly helping and loving others.

And sometimes we are using social media to create a fictitious world that doesn’t even exist or reflect the truth at all. Reality television is not where we want to do life. The pavement outside our doorstep is!

I challenge you to give up social media for a month or more and see for yourselves…test it and see. Who follows you beyond the screen and actually wants to walk alongside you in your dailyness?

Those are the ones who are worth building with…those are the ones who help carry your heavy burdens to God. And they love you enough to be a friend in real life and get their hands dirty even.

I’ll be honest with you– eight months later, less than 5% of the friends I had on Facebook and not even 2% of Twitter have continued with me. I say that to give you a reality check.

These platforms are not reflective of real life friendships. They are business cards mostly. Places for one liners…for marketing… for so many things. But they are not places where true friendship can grow I believe.

So I’ve decided to never go back. This is no longer a sabbatical, but a leaving. It has given me freedom to build again.  And I’m loving the life I am living with the friends God has given.

For the record, many of the friendships I have built through blogging and commenting (since 2006) are still some of my closest and dearest friends. So blogging? Yes! It’s the kind of yes that also brings a huge smile to my face…for I am thinking of you friends and family, who are reading this right now.

Love y’all!

Oh and God gave me the most awesome pictures the other day…the Thunderbirds flew over our house and there was the sun high up above me with a RAINBOW circling round it.  Have you ever seen such a sight?

IMG_20140526_115437_564 IMG_20140526_115452_488 IMG_20140526_115621_632

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Filed Under: About In the Margin, Why the Sabbatical?

Comments

  1. Bev Brandon says

    June 3, 2014 at 12:12 am

    Sandcastles and business cards. You have a way with words. No, you have found the way that is true. Love your honest heart. Humbled. Loved the pictures. Truly!

    Reply
  2. Vicky says

    June 3, 2014 at 6:07 am

    Guess I worry….if only 5/2% follow you, who would follow me? My world is already too small. I do not have a blog to go to and I work too much. For that reason, I should give it a sabbatical too. Great words holly and timely too!

    Reply
  3. Groovewoman says

    June 3, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    What a beautiful post today. It’s sad that my first thought when reading you weren’t coming back to social media was “How am I going to stay reconnect with her & know what’s going on”… then it hit me… “DUH, PHONE and EMAIL!”

    I can’t believe it’s been 11 months already, it has flown by (I’ve been in newborn world) and I have to say, I have missed you. I have thought about you SEVERAL times and went to drop you a line on FB and then remembered after searching for ya that you aren’t there anymore. I don’t know why I didn’t think about stopping by here. FB is just habit. **sigh** I know! We do need to catch up… because you need to meet/see the newest member of our family, who ended up being 10 days late! 😀

    MISS YOU ~ Let’s catch up, Please!
    Hollie

    Reply
    • Groovewoman says

      June 3, 2014 at 12:49 pm

      Sorry, I meant 8 months… not 11! Wow, my brain is still asleep apparently.
      NEED MORE COFFEE!!!

      Reply
  4. Julie@comehaveapeace says

    June 3, 2014 at 1:27 pm

    So well shared. And I did have to snag a line to share on FB on your behalf, because I think it needs to resound there for so many others who haven’t felt the freedom to leave, for others who are tied and tired and might not even know.

    Love you, friend!

    Reply
  5. Beth says

    June 3, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    Although we were only “social media” “friends” (through Joanne’s illness), I really miss the encouragement, wisdom and insight you gave and think of you often. Glad to read the blog posts and glad things are going so well for you. Continued blessings!

    Reply
  6. Marsha Harwood says

    June 4, 2014 at 8:23 am

    Holly, I’m glad this is working out for you…..of course it is, it’s the path God has planned for you. I do miss seeing little snippets from you now and again. I have another FB friend named Holly Smith. Everytime I see her come through my feed I pray for you – that’s the truth.

    For me, I could give up Twitter in a heart beat. Most of the time I don’t even think about checking it. But FB, I love what it’s done in my life. I’ve reconnected with old friends from high school and college. It’s been a wonderful time of caring for one another, even making the choice to get together when we’re traveling. And then there’s family. I’m staying connected with extended family, and reconnecting with some I barely knew. We’ve since decided to have a family reunion (last fall) and reconnect face to face. Since we’re scattered across the country, it’s a great way to stay in touch. And then there’s my immediate family, my adult kids and their families. Because we’re scattered around the world and in 4 different time zones, I love being able to share in each of their lives and ministries on a daily basis (besides FaceTime with the grandkids!).

    And then there’s “friends” I’ve made through blogging and FB. Some have developed into real life friends, others I have walked alongside during dark days with phone calls, cards, and many prayers. Even though we’ve never meet face to face, I consider some of them dear friends. I’m so thankful for the one face to face evening you and I were able to share in CO Springs almost 3 years ago.

    Over the past year, we’ve had to transition from life, home, and ministry in NC and relocate to TN because of hubby’s job. This has been an extremely difficult year. Being able to stay connected with my friends and neighbors I’ve had for the past almost 25 years has been a blessing.

    And then of course there are those who merely friend me so they can promote something. That’s the part of social media I wouldn’t miss.

    For me, giving up FB is not an option I would even consider – apart from God at some point telling me to lay it down as He did you. I have limited myself to the number of times I check in daily, and I no longer receive notifications via email so I’m not tempted to check more often.

    I love your heart, my friend. And I love watch what God is doing in and through you and your blog.

    Reply
  7. Sharon says

    June 5, 2014 at 7:01 am

    I have to agree with some of Marsha’s thoughts concerning Facebook.
    There are several women there that carried over from my blogging years…i dont know what i would have done without them the last few years. They have encouraged me to not give up and throw in the towel. I value their prayers and love.
    I was over looking at my blog…doing the…remember when. And i saw your name. I think of you often and have wondered how you were doing in life. I am glad to know things are going well.
    Love you girl 🙂

    Reply

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