Being present.  This is kind of the ‘buzz term’ that I see going around on Instagram after people take a few days off of social media, and I like it.  I’ve been learning about it so much this past year, and I’ve learned that being present is wonderful.  Being present is something I took for granted in the first year or two of writing my blog/having my Instagram.  I absorbed myself in wanting to grow my blog and Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, but I felt. . . empty.   It just didn’t seem like my calling.   But I continued to do it, until I burnt out.  And that was this year.  I realized that the blog wasn’t meant to be my business. Sure, I’d share a few products, do a giveaway here or there, but I was sucking too much time away from my relationships, and I wasn’t good at balancing the time. 

When did I realize these things?  

We’d watch movies, and I’d be scheduling social media. I couldn’t close my computer and just be present.  I’d scroll through my Instagram before and after dinner to just stay caught up; it was . . . terrible.  

I felt like I was chained to it.  

Something had to change.  And God was working on me.  

I wanted to be more present.  I wanted to laugh more with my sisters, talk about the movies as we watched them, eat dinner without mindlessly scrolling and ignoring the people most precious to me, and not miss them talking to me and sharing their hearts, their griefs, their joys, their excitements.  

Cause my family is pretty fun; they love MUSICALS, laughing, making jokes, talking about serious things, praying together, listening to sermons, climbing through bushes, and watching geeky movie series together.  We always always do a LOTR marathon every year.  

Enter. . . Jamie.  

Jamie is one of my most precious friends that I’ve met via Instagram.   She and I met a while ago, and she contacted me on Facebook.  She was a recovery warrior with an intense story.   I was drawn to her, her humility, her love for sharing how Jesus Christ has saved her out of the pit of despair and darkness, and all of that drew me to her as a sister in Christ.  

Jamie, just this year, talked about taking a fast from social media in order to focus, focus on being present with her family, focus on spending more quiet time in the Lord’s presence, and just reset her perspective.  

That stood out to me.  

I saw God working in her, and I wanted to talk to her about it.   I saw her blossoming, growing with life, especially after she came back from her social media fast.  

So we talked.  And this interview FILLED my soul.   I came from it with such joy and such renewed conviction that I want to be more with my family; I need to put my phone down more; I need to be more here instead of escaping.  

Now I want to make some caveats.  In the interview we talk about:  

• The Gift of Social Media. Why Social Media literally saved Jamie’s Life  
• How Jamie Started to Notice the Little Things When She stepped away from social media this year 
• Why Social Media is the Door to Deeper Relationships beyond the screen  
• Social Media Being A Tool That Can Be Used to Bring Life and Truth to Others  
• Filtering Facts and Truth when you’re on social media  
• Being Aware of Your Weaknesses When You Use Social Media  
• How Putting Down the Phone Can Open The Door for Relational Healing 
• Why I Used Social Media this Year as An Escape But Realized more and more that if I was using it as an escape it was unfulfilling  
• Finding Your Why for Social Media http://beautyinchristthebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Being-PresentSocial-Media.mp3

  The whole conclusion we came to? Social media is a GIFT from God.  It’s not a bad thing, but it does matter how we use it.  I know MANY social media influencers that I follow who have such a directed message, who are so good at balancing the time with their family (I know they’re not perfect), and I really respect these people.  I’ve learned much from them myself.    

  Social media is what has enabled me to have so many wonderful, profitable, delightful interviews, because I’ve found many girls who were willing to share their stories on social media, and that was the gateway into sharing their stories via the podcast.

  Social media is a way to pass prayer requests on quickly; I’m thinking right now of the California wildfires and so many other things that are burdening my heart that I can take to the Lord in prayer.  

  Learning to embrace the tool of social media while treasuring being present with those you love….
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  Social media is not the enemy, but it can become that if we use it in the wrong way.   

  I hope this is a thought provoking conversation on social media, and I would LOVE to hear your thoughts after you listen! 

  Questions for You:
  
  How do you balance being present with social media?

  What are some of the best things you’ve learned from social media? 

  What are some of the little things you’ve noticed that you’re grateful for when you take time off of social media? 

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