For those of you who might be unfamiliar or a little rusty, Lent is the season immediately preceding Easter, when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday (the day after Mardi Gras for you Louisiana natives), and spans 40 days. The Catholic church especially intends Lent to be a time of solemn reflection, leading up to a holiday full of rejoicing. Christians are familiar with stories from the Gospels, describing Jesus' temptation in the desert, and how he stayed strong in the midst of the world's temptations through prayer and fasting. Keeping in mind the constant goal of being followers of Christ (that is what "Christian" means, after all!), the church (again, the Catholic church especially) encourages all its members to spend the season of Lent like Jesus did--engaging in prayer, penance, and fasting; working on our spiritual discipline; and constantly strengthening our faith through any and all means.
So as you can imagine, there's a spirit of sacrifice and self-denial surrounding the season of Lent. Lent, for Christians, is all about remembering that life is hard, but in the end, the reward is incomparable. Lent is all about denying the self, and focusing more on "things above" than things here below.
I bet at this point you've figured out where this is leading--I'm going to share with you what I decided to give up for Lent. Some of you who read this blog may already know, but here it is: I decided, for the 40 days of Lent, I will not take part in my usual/daily social media outlets (specifically Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr).
**Note: Yes, I realize the irony of sharing these reflections via blogging, a medium that many consider to be social media, but please humor the method to my madness :)**
Those of you who read this blog regularly, most of whom know me pretty well, will know that this is quite a sacrifice (which, of course, is the point--giving up something for Lent is not supposed to be easy). I use Facebook to keep in touch with my high school, college, and grad school friends who live across the country from me. I use Twitter for multitudinous reasons, chief among them a) engaging in professional development with other student affairs professionals across the country, b) live-Tweeting movies, and c) talking about Beyonce. I use Tumblr to keep on top of my pop culture consumption; without it I would not have known so early that Disney is putting a Boy Meets World sequel sitcom, featuring much of the original cast, into production (if you didn't already know this, REJOICE WITH ME). And I use Instagram... well, I'm not really sure how I use Instagram yet. There's not really a streamlined purpose for it for me. I do enjoy looking at pictures of my friends' meals, though, so that's something.
TL; DR: I am almost CONSTANTLY engaging on social media. I have apps on my phone; as soon as I wake up in the morning I'm checking Instagram photos and seeing funny tweets that popped up the night before. When I have a moment at work, I'm scanning Tumblr for the latest updates or taking a few moments out of my day to tweet encouraging messages to friends and students. I check Facebook daily to make sure that I haven't missed any friends' birthdays and to post funny Buzzfeed articles on buddies' walls. From the moment I open my eyes in the morning to the moment I close them at night, I am plugged in and connected to my many networks.
So I did some reflecting right before Ash Wednesday this year, about what to give up for Lent. And I realized something very important: while the amazing networks are, after all, the POINT of social media, all of my social media outlets are doing something for me that I did not intend: they are distracting me. I am constantly drawn to pull up Facebook (assuming, in a very silly way, that I will have some notification that wasn't there 30 seconds ago); I am constantly drawn to send a new tweet or to see what new celebrity-based topic might be trending. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, I allow myself through social media to be distracted. And it's not only at work (although work is primarily where distraction is a BIG problem)--in the mornings, when I wake up, my time could be better spent getting ready for the day, rather than spending 15 minutes checking all my social media apps. Instead of reading Twitter as I eat breakfast, I could be spending some quiet time reading my Bible and doing a devotional, mentally fortifying myself for the day ahead. Instead of spending hours perusing Tumblr after I get home from work, I could be reading a book or cozying up on my couch to watch a movie. Instead of trying to capture the perfect moment to share with friends on Instagram, I could be experiencing the moment.
Lent, ultimately, is about removing the distractions of this world and the temptation to gratify the self. To use church phraseology, it's about "dying to the self" (denying the temptation of constant self-centeredness and selfishness) and being reborn in the faith, with daily motivation found from and intended focus on "things above": God, and what He is doing daily in this world and in my life. So this Lent, that's what I want to do--focus more on things above, rather than things here below.
And hopefully, this focus on higher things--on what God is doing daily in my life, about how I can serve Him better--will lead to a better life here on earth, one that is less centered on me and more centered on others. Serving and loving others is one of the highest pursuits in this life, and I want to give my all to that end.
So, adios, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr. We'll talk again in about 40 days... or maybe not. This no-distractions thing is pretty awesome, once you get used to it.
