I was recently startled by the realization that I am approaching an entirely new and final season of raising my children—the season of their school years.

With only two years left to spare before my oldest child begins school, you can say my mental awareness took a hard hit with this alarming reality. For approximately five weeks now, the Holy Spirit has tugged on my heart to reevaluate the amount of time each day I am wasting in this current season.

Wasting.

It seems like such a harsh term coming from the Lord. After all, I was convinced I was being intentional with my time—especially with my children. Unfortunately, the statistics of my screen time (social media, web browsing, texting, etc.) gathered from five consecutive weeks concluded otherwise. Talk about another humbling realization.

I had spent approximately four hours a day behind my phone screen for five weeks in a row. For all you math lovers, this means I was spending 28 hours a week on my phone; that’s 140 hours during those five weeks of research. To put it in a more shocking perspective, I was averaging a total of 1,456 hours a year scrolling behind my phone for a total of 60.6 days.

Sixty days around the clock.

Ninety-one days if I include sleeping hours.

Now, I can confidently say that the full four hours a day were not spent doing aimless scrolling. I, as well as other people, use my phone for so many different things, especially as a mom. I keep up with notes, schedules, activities, bills, emails, and so forth, all through the convenience of one single device. However, it is safe (and embarrassing) to say that I could designate a solid two hours a day to empty screen time.

After discussing this new evaluation of my time with the Lord, I was prompted to disconnect from social media for several months in order that I might reconnect with life. What I wasn’t prepared for were the withdrawals I’d have because of it. There really is a fine line between modest use and being addicted.

I knew  things needed to change if I were going to prove to myself  I would not be mastered by technology or social media, and I was determined to make these changes a priority, especially as I would soon be putting my oldest child in school and entering into a season of life that would require more effort to stay involved in his life.

The first change I implemented was surrender. I had to let go of the unnecessary precedence I placed on social media platforms over the past four years. This surrender took place in my intimate prayer time with the Lord when I addressed my fears, anxieties, discomfort, hesitations, and fleshly desires, and allowed Him to release His peace, strength, trust, and love in exchange.

The second change I implemented was risk. I recognized  I was too comfortable indulging in my online life, because it was something I had control of. There is significant safety behind the screen. I had control over what people knew and didn’t know about me. I was able to hide the personal endeavors from “friends” so that these online followers were never too close to my personal life. If I were going to reconnect with life, I needed to be willing to take chances in the outside world. This meant taking chances with meeting new people and building friendships in person. It meant accepting and being accepted by others knowing life gets messy and there are no “filters” to hide the chaos in true friendship. It meant creating new adventures with people I love to fill the gaps of time I would have otherwise filled behind my screen. It meant taking risks with opportunities I would have easily dismissed, because they didn’t fall within my “safe” zone. It meant letting go of control so the beautiful unpredictable life that God created for me could thrive.

The third change I applied was filling my life with the Truths of God for the sake of His Kingdom. Disconnecting from activities that filled my day with superficial satisfaction allowed me to reconnect to life for the sake of the Kingdom. By forbidding myself to be mastered by social media, I was able to present myself to the Father for the work of His Hands in every area of my life. Because, let’s face it, being emerged into an online world indefinitely affects every aspect of our relationships by distorting our everyday reality with a well-organized fantasy we indulge in. And because dopamine plays a considerate role in the obsessive tendencies of social media, it is necessary we take the addictive behaviors captive and make them obedient to the Cross of Christ.  Here is a list of Truths I have personally organized to remind myself why I have chosen to disconnect from distractions and empty hours and reconnect with life for the sake of the Kingdom. I encourage you to dwell on scripture, spend time with Jesus, and create your own personalized reminders. After all, our time on earth will only get shorter, and once it’s over, there is no going back.

Reconnecting with Life for the Sake of:

My Soul
“I have the right to do anything”- but I will not be mastered by anything. {1  Corinthians 6:12}

The Kingdom
But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things will be added to you. {Matthew 6:33}

My Marriage
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.{Proverbs 31:10}

My Children
Do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. {Ephesians 6:4}

My Health
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. {Galatians 6:8}

My Destiny
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. {Proverbs 16:3}

My Mind
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  {II Corinthians 10:5}