What I learned during Lent

I returned to the world of facebook on Easter Sunday after the season of Lent came to a close. Like I said before, I've never participated in Lent and thought of something that was sucking my time and energy away from God, family, and work. Facebook immediately came to mind. However, I learned that Facebook was never the problem. I am the problem!

I would sign on five or six times a day to see if anyone commented on my status, updated new pictures, or wrote on my wall. They rarely did, but that didn't stop me. I used it as a distraction or a stalling mechanism when I didn't want to commit myself to the next task in front of me. Durin Lent I logged on to my blogger account more often, but it wasn't as easy to get distracted. I did get more done, and I did feel like I was being a better steward of my time. I did not calculate up how much time I spent on Facebook and spend it in quiet time or meditation. Maybe that's the problem?! No, if anything I missed Facebook because it is a community. It's not feasible that I can keep up with the goings on of my college friends, old high school buddies, old co-workers, current co-workers, Jason's law school friends, and the other smattering of people that I am "friends" with on Facebook. At least not via phone or email or in-person meetings. I know people criticize these "cyber" relationships, but isn't something better than nothing? I missed pictures of people's babies and news of engagements, wedding dates, jokes, opportunities to support and encourage people, and so many other things. I think that in a lot of ways Facebook helps us live in a small town again. I missed my small town, but now I know that once or twice a day is probably just fine to keep up with everything. Now I know that most people assume that if you're in their Facebook family that you know what they have posted and are keeping up with the happenings of their public lives. It's seriously like assuming that your neighbors know that you broke curfew and got grounded, and that your teachers at school know too. It's a small town, everybody knows! For those of you with 1,000 friends...not so much, and I do not envy your news feed!

P.S. I do not and will not participate in any of the facebook games. I think I tried to play BeJeweled once but quickly gave up. I will not plant crops or find lonely cows or sheep on my farm, and I will not participate in Mafia Wars or accept any requests for strange apps or groups that I know nothing about. I'm a crotchety old cat lady in my small town! ;)