Taking the Month Off - Why

I have been burdened with the desire to take a month off from some parts of my life in order to focus on other, more important areas. And I have decided to do this for the month of December.

You see, I spend a lot of too much time on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and here, blogging. I love it. I really do. Communication is one my top 5 values and (this is said humbly) a gift I feel I have. I love being able to communicate in such a variety of ways...

BUT

It can become so consuming. Not just time, but energy as well. These things have taken a higher place in my life than they should, and I know that I need to do something drastic, for a time, to break myself of these unhealthy habits.

SO

I will be taking off the month of December. My desire isn't to get rid of these things completely, but to establish healthier boundaries with them. So, I'll be implementing a Screen Time - Time Limit on myself. I'll visit each site briefly. I'll post rarely.

I still want to keep up with everyone: sis-in-law on Twitter, my brother's family via FB, Heather through her blog, and still be able to pin awesome ideas I find on Pinterest, etc.

Also, I still plan to post a Throw Up Thursday and Weekly Wrap Up each week. I meant it when I said I wanted to use this blog to record our life together, and a month is just too large an amount of time for me not to write something.

All in all, it's not just about removing unhealthy habits, but adding/reinforcing healthy ones.

I want to focus on my spiritual life. I have chosen a religion to follow, that I believe to hold Truth, and I want to live my life according to what I claim is my deepest beliefs.

I've been afraid to whole-heartedly live out my faith for some time now. I'm not sure when or how it started, but I can remember a time when I was completely sold out to Christ, and now, I'm just not. I'm just living life, breathing in and out every day, going to church, trying not to sin, but not really letting Christ change me.

In this vein, I'm also taking the month off from serving with our church's youth group (and yes, I've discussed it with our youth pastor and explained everything). I'll still help administratively and attend social things, but I'll be attending all adult services on Sundays and Wednesdays in an effort to challenge myself at an appropriate level. I love that God meets us at whatever season of life we're in. I love that he doesn't give us challenges that we can't meet, but asks us to stretch and grow as we are able.

And I know I am capable of more than I've been giving. 

So I've covered what I'm giving up, with brief, possibly incoherent, explanations of why. My next post will begin to explain how I'll be spending this precious and dedicated time. Please continue to read this series of Taking the Month Off. I know that I will need your encouragement and support.

Thank you