look up

When I’m in the bus commuting to and fro work, I notice how most people have their heads down, staring at a screen, scrolling, typing the time away… I look away, stare out the window, and do what I do best on the bus. People watch.

I remember the times when I was so into social media, facebook especially. I would have my face buried into my phone, with this need to keep up with every single thing going on in my ‘friends’ lives. A time came when I realized it had to stop. The time when I committed seriously to God.

You see, I didn’t want social media to be the first thing I turned to when I woke up or the last thing when I was about to sleep. I didn’t want to let unnecessary details about people’s lives occupy the greater chunk of my day. I wanted God to be. And I wanted to fill my head with Godly wisdom, which my fb wasn’t doing a great job of. 

I clearly needed to purge my friends' list so i deleted some people. A few survived. Somehow, my interest began to go down. Real down, I deactivated my account. It’s been a looong time I went there, can't remember my password. I personally dislike fb now. I’m more of a twitter person now. still social media, yes, but I intentionally surround myself with folk chasing after Jesus so that the times I do go on there, I’ll view words filled with some wisdom. And twitter cos I can tweet stuff (quotes, verses, thoughts) as much as I want to in a day and encourage others without looking cray cray as compared to fb. But, I digress.

via

The point is, fb was in my blood and I wanted it out. Fast. As much as twitter is my thing, I make sure I’m not on there 24/7, and the times I am, I make sure I’m spending my time wisely. I use my social media to point to Jesus. More of Him, less of me. I like it that way.

I love blogging/reading blogs but I don’t spend my whole life doing that. I unplug, to be in the moment. What would I even blog about if I don’t go out to live, observe and learn? I like the convenience of whatsapp but I have an unwritten rule not to go on there before 8 in the morning or stay on there past 9pm. and most of the time, I stick to my rule. I need to have my time with the Lord undistracted.

And as I sit in the buses staring out and people watching, I breathe in deeply, and wonder about the stories of those people. The hows’ and whys’ and just allow my mind to be refreshed by the scenery around…the green trees, the blue skies, the birds flying so freely, the planes occasionally in the skies. I simply let my eyes and mind have a break and simply be. In the moment.

Txting is ok, but I like personal, face to face, deep conversations better. Group chats are ok (urm, I personally dislike this one. I don’t know what to say so I don’t say much there), but I want to connect with friends in reality, in community, in fellowship more.

i try hard not to seek approval on social media. it's a struggle sometimes. but i remind myself that i'm not defined by the number of likes/favorites/followers i get. i am already loved by the best Lover, and i matter to Him. that's more than enough. i remind myself that what's important is that i share Him {Jesus}, my thoughts, my art {writing}, and if not many people like/need my art, i need to keep creating it, still. because i need my art.

Technology is good. I get to use it to be a good influence and show Jesus. I get to learn things and send info faster than when the pc/phone were invented. But, I make sure I don’t confuse/replace real life connections with the connections I make on social media. There’re times I need to unplug, be with my thoughts, and enjoy the life infront of me.

This video does justice to what I’m rambling about. Maybe you’ve seen it already, but it’s a good reminder.

"the time you don't have to tell hundreds what you've just done because you want to share this moment with just this one."

"when you're too busy looking down you don't see the chances you miss."

"so look up from your phone, shut down those displays, we have a finite existence, a set number of days. don't waste your life getting caught in the net."

enjoy your weekend! :)

xoxo

delali.

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