Ping ping! Hearing the familiar sound, I tapped the screen of my phone to see a message from a respected friend: “How can I be praying for you?”
I paused to think; my mind shuffled through the many intentions on my heart. In a moment of grace, I had the courage to confess: “It’s humbling to admit this, but I need prayers for greater discipline in how much time I am spending on social media. I feel convicted to change my habits. I know I should be spending more time in the Word and in prayer.”
“Yes!” she replied. She went on to make a comparison that rang true to my experience, “It’s like grabbing dinner from a fast food drive-thru instead of sitting down for a gourmet meal.”
What a great analogy! Social media is easy to access and fun to devour, but the satisfaction is fleeting. Not to mention the not-so-wholesome side effects of too much time spent consuming. By no means am I saying social media is completely bad, but I am saying that for me—and I think for many of us, if we are honest—social media is a distraction from the life we are called to in Christ.
Meanwhile, the Lord personally invites each one of us to “a great dinner,” or as some translations read, “a great banquet”—can you begin to imagine it, sister? In the Gospel (Luke 14:15-24), we hear three invited guests make excuses as to why they are too busy to accept His generous offer. For one it was his possessions, for another his work, for another to be with his new spouse.
Not one of these things was innately bad, but yet in turning to these things first, they declined the Lord’s generosity.
What is distracting you from the Lord’s invitation to fuller life, to deeper intimacy with Him? Ask the Lord to show you!
For Christ has prepared a place for you to rest at His table, a place to be nourished with good food, and a place to drink of the living water which quenches our every thirst. Only with Him will our souls ever truly be filled.
Only with Him will our souls ever truly be filled. // @inendlesssongClick to tweet
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Elise Howe is a wife, mother, vocal artist, and teacher. She is most joyful when creating with the inspiration of the Divine Artist. Elise hopes to live a life full of authentic beauty—especially through her song, her cut-flower garden, great books, delicious ice cream, and her yes to the Father. A born-and-raised Midwestern gal, she happily resides in Michigan with her husband, son, and two daughters. She was a contributing author to Set a Fire and Blessed Conversations: Misericordia.
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