The Secret Addiction I’m Giving Up For Lent

this post may contain affiliate links.

I’m going to give myself an “A+” here for “captivating title that sucks people in.” Do you think it was juicy enough?

This is the first time I’ve celebrated Lent. I think I was a little turned off in high school and college when I had to endure 40 days of broadcasts that people were giving up things like: vegetables (ha, ha), “making out with my boyfriend,” those Dove chocolates (“no seriously, guys, I’m addicted”), and the like.

It always rubbed me the wrong way. But this year, I kept hearing about Lent, in a good way. Like our women’s church Bible study (which in full disclosure I have only heard about in emails, but want to go). And also this amazing She Reads Truth study.

But the bigger deal was that I got fed up. Because you know…the addiction. My hard-core, compulsive addiction, that is…to Facebook. Now, hang on. I see you all clicking the little red “x” to close your browser. Please, come back, y’all. Don’t leave yet.

I know it’s about as tacky as the Dove Chocolates example from high school. I know it sounds a touch pathetic and petty, but it’s really true.

Where’s the first place I go when I feel stressed during the day? God? Nope… Its Facebook.

Where’s the first place I go when I need advice? God? Um, Facebook.

To what do I turn when I’m bored and have a free minute? Read my Bible? Drift to prayer? Do ANYTHING productive? No. Facebook again.

In fact, case in point: I am writing this post, and just now, I started feeling tired, felt like I needed a little break, and WHAT DID I DO?

I LOGGED ONTO FACEBOOK!!!!!!

I’ve avoided Facebook all day long (that’s my goal – no Facebook until after dinner…I do a lot of blog business on Facebook so I didn’t want to quit entirely.) And here I am, literally  ITCHING to know if my comments have been liked, if there’s any news, just to scroll mindlessly through. It’s calling me. I need it.

So I decided it was time to deal with this addiction. Not as much because I feel guilty about it, but more because I feel incredibly, deeply unsatisfied.

I’ve had too many days where – out of exhaustion and cooped-up-winter blues – I checked my phone like 984 times, reading the same old boring feeds about the same old people.

I got to the end of the day, and was so disgusted with myself. Like a binge-eater, you know, who has NO IDEA why he/she is eating,  because it doesn’t feel good, it feels horrible, but you just can’t quite stop it…

I was just ready to be done.

So it’s Day 10 of no-Facebook Lent, and here is what I have learned.

• How LITTLE I was actually missing.

Here’s what happens about 7:00 at night now. I realize, wow, I haven’t checked Facebook all day. Ooo, I wonder how many people have messaged me. I wonder all the notifications I have. And – honest to goodness – my heart actually begins beating faster. (AM I PATHETIC???) Then I seclude myself to some nice comfortable spot (like the bathroom) and – drumroll – log in to Facebook.

AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MISSED?

BARELY. ANYTHING.

Oh, that person messaged me back about the dress she’s borrowing. Three other random people wished so-and-so “happy birthday.” Yup, 12 people liked my post.

The end.

And then the shock sort of settles in – This took me eight-and-a-half minutes. Can you believe I could have wasted ALL DAY checking this thing???

Which brings me to the next point.

• I am thrilled with this arrangement. I’ve read three books. Just in the crevices of the day, eating my lunch, waiting in line. Three whole books. Oh, and, oddly, I don’t feel pathetic about reading books at the end of the day. The weirdest thing.

• Which incidentally, brings me to the next point. You can’t just give up something willy-nilly. You need to have something to replace your demons with. Remember the story Jesus told about how if you kick the demons out of a person, you need to fill it with something else, or more demons come? (Matthew 12:43-45 if you’re curious.) I have found this to be similar. I wanted something to replace Facebook with in my life. Sometimes it’s spiritual. Reading my devotional, actually praying for that friend I said I would pray for.

But sometimes it’s Southern Living. The book about marriage. Chatting with a friend.

• Which brings me to my next point. To quote John Calvin, “The human heart is an idol factory.”

See, the weirdest thing happened. Here I was today, in my Facebook-less state of holiness, and you will NOT believe what happened. Today, I dwindled away a good hour (intermittently – don’t worry, honey – still parenting our children) on Instagram.

Instagram, y’all.

*Long, deep, ashamed sigh.*

It’s the weirdest thing…It’s almost as if the problem…almost as if the problem isn’t social media, or TV shows, or chatting on the telephone too much…

It’s almost like the problem is…us.

• Which leads to our final point. We do need something. We do need help.

We. Just. Need. Jesus.

All of us. All the time. We need him to fill our emptiness.

We need him to revive our spirits when we are tired and lonely.

We need Him to give us wisdom for our problems.

We need him to grant purpose and meaning to our deary, winter days.

We need Him to carry off the guilt for the lost-tempers and grumpy-hearts- not to stuff it or stifle it, but to take it fully away.

We need Him to remind us that we matter, that we are loved, through and through. Not because some lame acquaintance thinks so, but because our Creator does.

Dear Lord, I pray for all of us mamas in this present iPhone, media-dredged, instantly-gratifying modern world. We want to be different. We want to live the full lives you and only you give. Help us to take hold of the life that is truly Life. And Jesus? Thank you that what we can’t do, you did for us.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. {Romans 5:8}

Happy Lent, friends.

ps: Interested in reading more? I’m starting (and loving) this book:

Follow "Smartter" Each Day on Facebook!

Follow Jessica on Instagram!