Digital Downsizing

I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions but this year I have resolved to reduce  my online involvement  as much as possible. I began digitally downsizing last summer by deleting my Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Connecting with friends  was great but  it  had become  too  addictive for my liking. I had failed several attempts to scale back,  so  I decided it best  to avoid the temptation completely.   

Right away I discovered that unplugging was surprisingly liberating. The freedom  to  quietly enjoy  life's simple moments without  having the urge to grab my phone and broadcast it  has been refreshing. I have also noticed that my concentration has improved and that  I'm not as stressed out.  So far,  I  have  no desire to return to it and  hope that it stays that way.

My biggest concern was losing touch with friends, but alas!   In our modern world there are  other ways to communicate with people. Fancy that! Email,  texting , and phone calls  may  take a little more effort,   but they can also be more meaningful. And who knows?  Maybe I’ll even make good on  this challenge. 

Most of us are keenly aware of  the good and  evil of  social media so I won’t bother going there except to say that I really appreciated David Murray’s thoughts on the subject last week:   2017: A Year of Digital Detox . He is following this theme throughout the year and has posted some helps for those who want to cut back.   

I have also decided to retire my personal blog and discontinue posting here.   This was a hard decision that I debated for a long time but I have finally accepted  that I have entered   a new season of life.  As much as I enjoy writing and the blogging community,  it's  time to slow down  and devote my full attention to my home,  family,  and local church.   

Blogging has  been an extremely rewarding  venture.  It has given me the opportunity to  expand my knowledge  in new ways and has provided a means to share my faith in Christ,  for which I am  very grateful.  I have also made some wonderful friends from around the world—yes, Internet friendships can turn into real friendships.   

I want to thank my friends here at Out of the Ordinary for inviting me to be a part of this terrific team. These women are such an inspiration to me and  I pray that God will continue to use this blog to His glory.    

And many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my blogposts here and at Theology for Girls. The kindness  of those who have encouraged me over the years has been very much appreciated!   

 If I have accomplished  one thing in my  blogging efforts, I would hope that  God has used it to point others to our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ and encourage women to dig deeper into His marvelous Word.  

“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”     
Psalm 19:7-10

Soli Deo Gloria!

Diane