Internet Addiction – The Welcome Home

ReBlogging

Lots of women do this. Every day they do this. For years I wrote every day. But then a reality check came. And the reality was this: I was so consumed with doing all I was doing that I forgot/neglected what I was supposed to be doing.

I think lots of early sites, early website designers/builders and then bloggers fell into this same thing: out of control distraction! I’ve had the honor and privilege of talking with some of them over the years. One such blogger, Keri Lamar, who faced a similar ‘day of reckoning, is the author of Present: How one woman pulled the plug on distraction to connect with real life. It’s worthwhile reading (along with the Present Journal).

In the 90’s, internet was new and thrilling —a time of information explosion— bulletin boards, seemingly unlimited content, email, internet chatrooms/groups/platforms were big. Really big. And SO easy! The allure was amazing, captivating and intoxicating. And captivated we were — sometimes for hours on end. Days evaporated. I’ve written from time to time about this early {and ongoing} distraction and time drain (Here and many other posts on internet addiction).

Once I got hooked on internet lists/groups, I began to gather material and content to begin building a website for women, homemakers/home educators after the manner of Titus2. The learning curve was steep and sometimes exasperating as I worked at learning html coding, creating site content and images. It was helpful and instructive to receive supportive email (and occasional naysayer mails, too). I loved what I was doing and the encouragement others were gleaning. Problem was, I didn’t notice what I wasn’t doing. My distraction was encroaching on my calling as a wife and mother/homemaker and years of yoyo-ing in an attempt to find balance ensued.

Fast forward to today. The last ten plus years have given much perspective. Through valleys of depression, extreme lack of confidence, lack of purpose, hope and worth, I’ve been learning more and more about the love and mercy of God. The Lord is only good. The Lord is only faithful. All the time. No matter where we’ve been, what we’ve done (or haven’t!) God is good and has good things for us — working all things together for His glory and our good.

It is of the Lord‘s mercies that we are not consumed,
because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3.22-23

As I prepared to write this post, I felt that nagging feeling that I had no business doing this. But I desire to carry on using/sharing the gifts God’s given me, what God’s done for me, what God’s done in and through me. Prior to the internet and all that’s transpired, I was writing — from newsletters, guides and booklets to Bible studies and various retreat talks and programs.

And so now… I’d like to {again} more regularly share some experiences and observations here.

I’ll be re-blogging as He leads me. ♥ —ps

Wasting Time

teacuppamela Do you ever feel like you’re just wasting time?

As I was washing dishes the other day, I found myself mentally wading into the pond of regrets and perhaps for the first time ever I stopped mid-thought and wondered what I would have done differently were I to have the opportunity to not waste time.

I think when one has faced the cold reality of failures in life, it’s easy to get hung up on failure or to get caught up in rehearsing failures. It’s also easy to be plagued with the fear of failing again — dreading repeating the same mistakes over and over. It’s also easy to slip into the paralyzing thinking that the failure defines us–that whatever we’ve done wrong is who we are. Forever.

If we’ve been wasting time, we feel we’re doomed to spend our days wasting time or we’re scrambling like mad to not waste a moment. Sounds a lot like works based faith, doesn’t it. If we work hard enough, we’ll be good enough and if we’re good enough: we won’t fail. Ever again.

Until we do. And it all starts again.

I looked at the work of our exchange student sitting across the table from me as I was teaching a couple of our children this morning. As I saw the completed geometry lesson pages (and believe me, it’s incredibly impressive in Chinese), I thought, Wow, I’ve sure been wasting a lot of time. And it all started again.

[cp_quote style=”quote_left_dark”]Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Galatians 5.1[/cp_quote]I then must ask myself, where is the Lord Jesus in all of this? Did I not trust Him? Did I not confess my sins, my faults, my failings, my wasting time? And, in pouring out my heart to Him, seeking His forgiveness and His covering and His direction, did He not answer me? I can hear Him saying, O foolish girl, why are you going back into bondage? If I say, O, I completely trust You Lord and know Your forgiveness and Your care — and then go back into that pit of rehearsing failures, I am in effect saying, Your atonement is not enough — Your grace is not sufficient for this (or me).

Gripping, right? So if you’re like me and you’ve been wasting time (or if this or other issues keep repeating), ‘fess up and press on. Do this with me: Do what you’re supposed to be doing today, tomorrow or whenever. Remember this with me: There’s so much life to live, so much praise to give, so much for which to be grateful and opportunities to do what ought to be done… no more wasting time sorrowing over wasting time.

Strengthen The Things That Remain

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 3.1-6

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
swirl

When I read this, I think, Lord I believe; help Thou my unbelief. And then I pray, Lord, will You strengthen the things that remain? Will You clear away whatever isn’t pleasing to You? Will You make my responses, my works perfect before You? I know Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. Will You clean my garments, make them white and make them worthy?

I can say with confidence, with surety and with great joy that the Lord, indeed, strengthens the things that remain. He does, indeed, redeem the time, and He restores the years the locusts have eaten. And He does, indeed, turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. [cp_quote style=”quote_left_dark”]He does, indeed, demonstrate His love toward us and, yes, He does, indeed, give sight to the blind, rest to the weary, faith to the feeble, and strength to the weak.[/cp_quote]

I can say this because of who He is, what I have seen and what He has done. I have prayed these prayers and have set all these sorts of things at His feet and I have confessed over again the failings that have brought me low, the regrets that have leveled me. I’ve walked the roads I share with you–my writings are pictures of my days, slices of my life and I share them with you as a way of connecting and hopefully, prayerfully, and sincerely I write so that you will be encouraged in your own walk—strengthened in your own life as you journey with the Lord.

As I’ve stood still in the Hand of the Potter — surely not saying, why hast Thou made me thus? — but saying, make me Thine, Lord, make me Thine! Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee! I have seen there are — things that remain — yes, there are many things the Lord has done in and through me that remain and so, I ask again: Lord, will You strengthen the things that remain and skim off the dross that I might be fit for the Master’s use? I pray it will be the same with you today… that He will strengthen the things that remain and fit you for the Master’s use.

Get the book and be: Present

I’ve had the great privilege of getting to know Keri and was honoured to be asked to read the draft of this book before it was published. You’ll immediately see her heart in this writing and you’ll likely see yourself in the pages as her story unfolds; it may well describe or reveal a bit of your own story–your own struggle to be present amidst the stranglehold and demands of social media and the desire to be relevant clashing with the desire to be present wherever you are in life.

So, get the book, read it… and be: Present.

A blogger’s loss & gain

teapotcup [cp_dropcaps]H[/cp_dropcaps]ardly a week goes by that I don’t think (or mutter aloud) that this or that blog or twitter account will have a crash. In just a matter of time there will be an incident or an avalanche of incidents that will take a blogger to an intersection in her life where she’ll be broadsided some Thursday afternoon and she’ll sit on the floor, head in her hands, crying out to God for His mercy. But for now, she doesn’t ask for help because she doesn’t know she needs it. Yet.

Such was the case for me… going to bed most every night regretting all the stuff that didn’t get done that day… only to wake the next morning, hurrying to get enough stuff done to be able to log on, retrieve the messages, hurriedly scan blogs of interest, personally regretting lacking the coolest format and relevant blog topics, hurriedly editing the latest photos for a new layout and then opening the blog “new post” page to start another blog entry.

With new eyes, I see the new styles and formats year after year. Emails flood my inbox regarding new programs, site design software, search engine optimization, methods for attracting and increasing traffic, comments, customers, digital image editing, suggestions for link sharing and more. As I see these things for the few seconds they remain on the screen before they’re deleted, I think of all my years of temptation to be and do more — and now the young mothers who desperately long to have a successful marriage and pinterested motherhood, well educated home-schooled children, pinteresting organized homes and pinterest-perfect meals served on lovely tables in beautiful homes just like the pictures in the best blogs. I see the ideas, tutorials, instructional and encouragement blogs and I sincerely think it’s amazing how they’ve exploded exponentially over the last few years. The pictures almost have smell-o-vision and the images seem to be increasingly bigger, better, more than homemaking’s ever been. All, seemingly effortlessly accomplished. While blogging.

And for a while the mothers will be able to pull it off…. blogging and living. Living and blogging. Checking the other blogs. Sharing links and ideas. Guest posting. Guest hosting. I wish I could convey that a mama on the computer doesn’t realize — really does not realize — how much time is passing and what’s being missed and what’s NOT being done in the passage of time. I wish I could explain that the number of times a mama says Justa sec… Justa sec… only increases. I wish I could convey just what happens with each “Justa sec” that’s uttered. [cp_quote style=”quote_left_dark”]What’s really happening is not what it seems like at the time to the mama.[/cp_quote] What it seems like at the time to the mama is that she really will hop up and play, or hop up and read that book, that she really will push that swing, see that funny face, play that game. But what’s really happening, more often than not, is that mindless commands are given, mindless affirmations are made, and in Justa sec, Justa sec… a child (or two or seven) is walking away. A child (or two or five) is ignored or put off or forgotten. Then time is too short for that story, that game, that swing, that funny face, that trip to the library. The hours pass into days, the days pass into months and the months pass into years. And all those Justa sec’s net nothing — nothing but a little more precious time online. And then the weary mama sinks down defeated… because at the end of that “Justa sec” is dinner, a spilled cup of milk, laundry, the phone or the door or the diaper or the dentist – fifteen minutes late. The tensions build, the frustrations increase and troubles start to flow like a river.

And then one day the crash happens. It may be a literal computer hard-drive crash or a website crash. It may be a failed or broken or damaged relationship. But a crash happens and the mama gets a wake-up call. She probably won’t realize in the moment, but then, the dawning of reality crashes over her like a tsunami that precious moments were missed and forever lost.

And the impact of the reality hits her as she crumbles on the kitchen floor. She gasps to breathe as she begins to catch a glimpse of what’s happened in the space of fifty thousand Justa sec’s. She’s leveled as she begins to realize the utter waste that consumed her days… that time to push the swing is past. Forever. In the theatre of her mind she recounts all the things forever gone, the pictures she never coloured with the littles, the funny things she didn’t even realize she missed… that the children stopped asking her to come and see, come and read, come and play… they knew that Justa sec never came. Justa sec never comes. Apologies would not make up for all that was lost. Sorrow wouldn’t restore the days and months that turned into years. Regret would not rewind the clock.

And in a puddle of tears and a heap of sorrow, she’s pretty sure she’ll never outlive these hard days — these very hard days of reckoning. But she will. God in His mercy will answer her cries. And He will tenderly cover her sorrows. He can restore what the locusts have eaten. A blogger’s loss may be another’s gain.

This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long.

Untangling the wwWeb – part two

This is “part two” of the previous post by the same name — you can read it here. The reason I’ve entitled this and the previous post: Untangling the wwWeb is bcz it truly is a tangling or entangling web. Now, what I hope is understood here is that the web or internet or electronic communication is not the enemy — it’s not all bad. In fact, I readily admit that it’s a profoundly invaluable tool. But tools are just that: tools. We utilize tools — and the right tools help us accomplish tasks much more efficiently than were we to not have them. Tools misused or used in the wrong hands are actually dangerous. We can think of the internet (or iPhones, smart phones or any other communication device) as a tool — a very useful tool if used properly. Unplanned or unbridled internet use is dangerous and should, from here on, be evaluated as a properly or improperly used tool.

Here’s an idea for you. Set the timer for 20 minutes right now or next time you use your computer (or iPhone or whatever). Bing! the timer will ring and you’ll be shocked just how fast twenty minutes passes! Now, for amplification, set the timer for that same amount of time before embarking on some task you don’t like doing. You’ll be shocked how slowly twenty minutes passes! That little exercise is to give you an idea just how much time you’ve ~~wasted spent~~ invested online. You can never get that time back. Ever again.

In order to untangle from the web — and it is, in intensity and enormity, a world. wide. web. — I believe you must (in addition to answering those questions in “part one” of this post) admit you’re tangled in it (if you are) and then do some fessing up to yourself, to your husband, to your children. Your fessing up may extend beyond your home. Think back on days gone by… how were they really spent? How much time did/do you really spend online? And, as with all addiction recovery, a course or a plan of action and accountability should be — read: must be — established. A lack of a plan is a plan to fail and disregarding accountability is a sure plan to cheat yourself.

You may clean the room, clean the space in your life that the net once fully occupied, but unless you fill that space with plans, purposes, activities and measurable accomplishments, that space will be filled with demons of a worse kind. Those demons might be resentment, regret, shame, anger, self-pity, bitterness, pride, anxiety, frustration, woeful longing and on and on. Those demons travel in a pack.

Get busy and stay busy. Look well to the ways of your household and do not eat the bread of idleness.

Wherever you are, be fully there. Whatever you’re doing, be fully doing it. Whoever you’re talking with, be fully engaged in conversation. It may shock you how disconnected you’ve been. It may shock them how distracted you were and now aren’t! It may be weird for them– and you — to be doing all the stuff you delegated (so you could be freed up to do all that important good stuff on the internet). Watch out for personal resentment if you’re not appreciated for all your hard work. Determine to live joyfully in your home. Purpose to change your tomorrows since you cannot do a single thing to change the yesterdays. You can change — your days can change and in doing so, you’ll be investing in your tomorrows.

Set about accomplishing the things you’ve set aside… maybe neglected. You know, the stuff you used to do before the the tangled wwWeb got you and your time all wrapped up. As you do things, you’ll experience delightful appreciation for personal growth and accomplishment — interest and investment in your home and family once again. You’ll be living all those pictures you’ve been dreaming about. Try new things. You sleep better knowing that the greater satisfaction comes in actually doing and accomplishing instead of just observing; reading about things other women seem to be doing or seeing pictures of all that all those other mothers seem to be accomplishing. Keep in mind each day that the wise woman builds her house but the foolish plucks it down with her own hands.

In time you’ll establish a balance of best vs. good… literal vs. virtual… wise vs. foolish or not-so-wise time investment. You’ll begin seeing or will begin doing all the things you knew deep down you wanted to do/you should be doing… but couldn’t do bcz you were all tangled up viewing a screen. Drinking another cup of coffee.

♥ may you always be blessed.

Untangling the wwWeb

Untangling from an internet bound life is sort of like limiting coffee consumption (but worse. so much worse). You might not even know you’re addicted to caffeine until you attempt to go without it for a day — or, okay, a morning without it. And then, if you’re addicted, you know it. You really know it. Your pounding headache constantly reminds you.

It’s hard. It’s actually painful — very painful — at first… and then, enduring the pain, you see a few days pass and the pain diminishes. You may have given up or reduced your coffee consumption but the pull is always there… especially when you catch a whiff of the nearly intoxicating aroma of great coffee.

In time, you learn to drink a cup of coffee and be satisfied. If you’ve been a long time coffee drinker — the kind that can’t live without coffee — it may take time — lots of time — before you can trust yourself to keep within a predetermined limited indulgence.

Maybe your deal’s not coffee or chocolate or any butter-sugar-flour combination food. Maybe your deal’s just the internet… maybe, like me, you’ve found your life wrapped up in a tangled mess of lost time, neglected duties, distracted thoughts, misunderstandings and forgotten purpose. In a way, it doesn’t really matter what had (or has) you distracted and off course — like I’ve said many times, even good things are the enemy of best things. So if you (believe me, I’ve been there, been here, and fully understand) have found yourself all caught up in all the good things — the very good things of the internet — you may need to take a step back and ask yourself some hard questions. Well, the questions aren’t hard at all, it’s the truth — or facing it — that’s the hard part.

I sincerely offer this baker’s dozen following questions… your answers may be helpful or insightful to you and may prompt you to consider the need re-chart your course.

1. Have I left my first Love?
2. Am I doing the things I am responsible, gifted, supposed to be doing?
3. Am I accomplishing the goals and plans I have (or had) for my home/marriage/motherhood?
4. Would my husband be pleased with how I have spent the hours of each day/week?
5. Do I ignore that inner prompting to get busy with my responsibilities?
6. Do I make excuses for how important my computer related activities are?
7. Would I be willing to list some things that have obviously gone by the wayside bcz I’ve been distracted on the computer?
8. Have I heard negative comments about the amount of time I spend online?
9. Can I go a day without checking into Facebook, email, blogging, reading blogs or looking at Pinteresting things?
10. Do you frequently say the meaningless phrases, Just a minute or Just a sec?
11. Do you feel you have a right to not be interrupted while using, browsing, writing, being entertained on the computer?
12. Do you prefer to miss activities, visits, etc., so you don’t have to miss being online?
13. And finally, does a power outage send you into a frenzied panic?

All those questions weren’t meant to be glib or even entertaining — they’re serious questions to prompt serious introspection and reflection and hopefully give some inspiration for changing your tomorrows.

So you’re addicted. Now, what?

When the day of my turning point came, I wouldn’t have been more stunned had a wrecking ball come swinging into my kitchen window. I’m now not so sure if it was the actual event or the combination of that and a heartrending revelation and my subsequent overwhelming grief that I’d squandered precious time — for years — reading, searching, creating, writing, researching… on the computer. Good things… so many good things.

There is a silver lining…
Lord has opened His Word to me in many new ways. I want to be careful not to exceed the context or intent of the Scriptures, so my ‘revelations’ or insights might not seem applicable to this situation — but numerous passages have spoken to my heart in new ways through these last two and a half years. One, is that the Lord is not willing that any should perish. Now, this pertains, ultimately, to salvation, but I’ve begun to see His love for life in a new way. His love for eternal life, His love for unborn life, His love for the downtrodden, His love for obedience in life, and His purpose that we might have life and that, more abundantly.

Addictions limit abundant living.

No worries: I haven’t jumped ship here into name-it-and-claim-it-prosperity-(little g) gospel living. But I do see that we limit God’s work in our lives when we live contrary to His plans and purposes for us. Being a preoccupied and distracted mother leads to all sorts of visible and not-so-visible troubles — but that’s not all — whatever is occupying our thoughts and time must be in accordance with God’s plan and design for our lives and things that hinder that or draw us away should rightly be called sin to us. Yeeouch. All the justifications, excuses and reasons for doing otherwise just deepens our problem and widens the sweeping damage done in our homes and in the lives of our family members.

Having the computer set up in the kitchen where it could be accessed and consulted at any hour, any time, for any length of time was like a drug to me — a gotta-have- it drug. That’s why I can so easily and confidently call unguarded, unrestrained and unmeasured internet use an addiction.

You know you’re addicted when you pray: Give us this day, our daily bread… And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us [some email]…

So, now what?

When facing and fessing up to and then turning/recovering from addiction, may I say, you’re never going to make it if you try going it alone. The devil will meet you at every turn (or log-in). You will make provision for the flesh. You will justify, minimize your addiction, make excuses for your ‘work’ and need to be online. And then you’ll remember you made a deal, your regret or shame or embarrassment may come back to your mind — but admissions will not keep you on track. Your sorrow will not keep you on track. Your resolve will not keep you on track. Your best intentions will not keep you on track. Simply deciding to be done with spending too much time on the computer will not solve your deeper problem and will not prevent you from carrying on just as you had been doing. I think that’s why the Lord taught or gave the following warning in Matthew 12:

(43-45) When the unclean spirit is gone out of the man, it walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then it says, I will return into my house from which I came out; and when it is come, it finds it empty, swept, and garnished. Then it goes and takes with itself seven other spirits worse than itself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first…”

Walls and fences for wills and fancies!

AA. Yep, AA! No, I’m not talking Al-Anon, I’m talking Accountability and Activity! I have learned over the last several years — and most especially in the last two and a half — that whenever a change — a drastic change — is needed, drastic measures must be taken. And, believe me, computer addiction is that serious. Think of the times you’ve dieted. You don’t leave the delectable foods on the counter, you don’t snack on candy bars, sip on rootbeer floats or munch on potato chips; No, you clear those things away and gather for yourself nourishing vegetables, fruits, lean meats and water. Additionally, you don’t sit and wait for weight to drop off — you get moving: you get busy and exercise or go for walks. You track your progress with a scale or measuring tape. And, better yet, you get a partner to join you: someone to whom you are accountable. You’ve already proven your ‘self’ is not a good accountability partner. Sadly.

So, also with computer addition. You make no provision for the flesh — and, believe me, while simply unplugging may seem like a good solution, it’s not a real solution. It may stop the activity for that length of time, but it wouldn’t necessarily get to the heart of the matter. In this, I encourage you (and myself) to begin with acknowledgement and prayer. Face the truth, look square into the face of the matter and then set up accountability. This provides the place to “confess your faults one to another.” (read James 5.16) That’s a powerful verse — the third part of it tells us that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Did you catch the fervent part? This is no small problem – computer addiction; thus there’s no casual solution. Fervency in prayer! You won’t be fervent in prayer until you grapple with the problem and grasp its gravity.

Here’s a net-net for you. Make a break — a clean break — you will survive and so will the masses.

Recommit. Reconnect. Re-create. Restore.

You see? There are many REasons for facing and tackling online addiction. But then… you’ll never know until you stop…

Next time, something of a new track to run on.

Make no provision for the flesh

Lots of times, when a story is told, readers are left wondering: what happened? This is especially true when specific or pertinent details are intentionally omitted (especially when the topic is of a more sensitive nature or where others are involved and wouldn’t be well served by the telling).

But this blog entry is just a continuation of writings of the last few days — and this one’s a long entry. If I give details here (or in the last two entries), I’d ask your kindness and lack of adding insult to injury. This has been a pretty candid recounting of the most painful (relationship-wise) era of my life. The fallout occasionally reminds me the woods were deep — but I cannot describe the freedom, the blessing and the gracious, loving work of the Lord in and through it all.

So, the title of the entry: Make no provision for the flesh… this comes from Romans 13.14 ” But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.”

Essentially, it’s a three part verse that would do well to be broken into three messages. But, for the sake of brevity, I’ll share with you tonight that not making provision for the flesh is to not fulfill the lusts of our flesh — that types out so easily and is so easily said… but I believe that, in and of ourselves it is not possible. But! It is possible as we put on the Lord Jesus Christ. In the flesh we will fulfill the lusts of the flesh — in the Spirit we will (with the Spirit’s enabling) resist the lusts of the flesh. It may be a moment by moment resistance, but the Spirit will enable us to obey as we yield ourselves to His leading.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:
and these are contrary the one to the other:
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Galatians 5.16-17; 6.8

When I started a diet, I prayed for a number of days prior to starting the diet — I didn’t want to do it and yet I needed to do it; there was no question that I needed to do it. My planned thoughts were willing, my sane-mind was willing but my flesh was not willing to give up whatever I wanted to eat — especially caffé mochas every morning. And mid-morning. I know, I know… don’t judge. ;o) I was not willing to do what I knew I must do. So, I prayed and confessed to the Lord that my spirit was willing but my flesh was weak — I confessed as sin my over-indulgence and tendency to mindlessly do/eat whatever I wanted.

Make no provision for the flesh. Make. no. provision. for. the. flesh. Make no provision for the flesh. It’s a a decision; it’s a resolve: it’s a command. Have you ever thought of it that way when you’ve read it in the Word? Or, have you been like me — sort of taking it as a good suggestion. Sort of the hot tip for the day.

I took time to pray, wait and prepare before I began this diet. But when I gave my husband my computer a couple of years ago, I wasn’t all prayed up and ready. And yet, I was ready. I knew it was right. So, the making no provision for the flesh there was pretty easy. And, for quite a while it was easy. And then it wasn’t. It wasn’t easy when I was selfish or embarrassed that I’d let myself get carried away each day, stopping at the counter in the kitchen to just read one thing, look up another, browse this or that. That shame was used of the Lord to help me get my priorities back on track. And the recalling all the things I hadn’t taken the time to do, make, create, etc., bcz I was too distracted by whatever was on the computer… well, that sorrow was multiplied and used as well. It continues to be used to this day.

Those first weeks, my husband printed my necessary letters and brought them down to me. Because I had gone “no mail” for several years on email lists and because I knew I couldn’t/shouldn’t/wouldn’t want to wreck my progress, I didn’t seek computer time of my own — I was content with his decision and happy at all that was being accomplished. I didn’t know what was going on in the news — and, strangely, I didn’t care. I stayed busy — I worked hard in our home all day long. I dedicated myself to what I knew I had neglected. You know what one of the biggest helps was? It was a simple request my husband made… and it was this: When you go gather up the laundry to do each morning, don’t negatively comment that the towels are on the floor again or that this or that wasn’t in the hamper — just graciously gather and take care of the laundry. I knew he was right and it was right to serve them… it was right to be sweet to them all. It’s what I thought, it’s what I’d taught! and it’s all I ultimately wanted to be! And… may I say, that from that day to this, I’ve done most all the laundry — and gladly so — and rarely have I made a comment about the amount, location or condition of the laundry. To be candid, I have occasionally reminded them that I’d be coming up to gather the laundry in a short while. They noticed — it’s now pretty rare for me to mention it. And with ten kids here, there’s a lot of laundry every day. That cheerfulness for serving, preparing breakfasts every morning and setting daily and weekly goals helped me to get, and stay, on track.

When this recent diet began, I had to make not provision for the flesh and that meant I had to have a plan of attack on the flesh — I had to make advance plans for the flesh — to get the flesh to comply with the plan. I had to target the things I would and wouldn’t eat. Eliminating butter-sugar-flour has its great dietary advantages, but for a snacky-foodie, no butter-sugar-flour (or any combination thereof) is practically torture — unless the prayerfully set goals are kept in mind. Water, planning and lots of busy-ness — O, and daily entries on the weight chart are very motivating. The delight for an Americano each morning is a bonus — or a concession — I guess. When I’m, cooking for the family I first cut up a few carrots into coins and a pepper or snap-peas and put them in a dish by the stove/sink. When cooking, there’s a tremendous temptation for me to snack and taste everything and so my appeasement for the flesh is the dish of crunchy vegetables. Make no provision for the flesh, I remind myself.

Some time passed by… and I had the use of my computer again. Initially, after a couple of months — for a half hour each day. My husband wisely chose this to demonstrate there was really no need to be on the computer everyday whenever I wanted to be and the world got along fine without my commentary, without my reading each devotional online or checking Facebook — or writing much here. The make no provision for the flesh included not working off-line either. Later, a little more leeway was extended. By this time I was too busy in our home doing what I ought to have been doing all along — working alongside each child — talking with them more, listening to them more, doing things for them more and being more all here instead of partially here mentally. As this project or experiment has continued and reworked and finetuned, My husband has been so gracious and gentle with me — I share this with you in hopes that you may find comfort in knowing that you’re not alone if you need to make some dramatic changes in your life to “get your home back in order.” And, additionally, if you’re like me, you probably don’t even realize that your home/family isn’t the dearest and highest priority it ought to be when you spend too much time online doing good things! Writing good things, reading good things!

The best things are better than good things. I’ve had to redouble my efforts to make sure I don’t lapse back into doing good things and thus get distracted and sidetracked into neglecting the best things.

If you’re seeking to make changes… pray. Seek the Lord, He is already there. Commit your way to Him and He will direct your path.

Things happen; and life goes on.

I thought I’d sort of continue on from where I left off yesterday (and then life goes on). Things happen; usually a bunch of things have to happen in order to arrest our attention – unless someone yells, Fire! or someone comes in bloody or the phone rings in the middle of the night. Those things get out attention.

Unfortunately, there are a whole bunch of other things happening (and not happening) that don’t get out attention — at least not until some crisis happens. Even then, we may address the interruption and move on… never seeing — really seeing — what’s going on. Thus, the damage being done by too much computer/electronic device games or text messaging is not so easy to see (harder to admit). Things happen, though, and we see them if we would break away long enough to listen and if we’d stop long enough to see. Just take a look around — anywhere — everywhere — you’ll see distracted individuals all connected and disconnected at the same time.

Things happen; and life goes on. Here’s where I hope, today, to be of some help. When things happen that bring us to our day of reckoning, we might foolishly focus on the day of reckoning instead of on the “things happening” and we might wallow in our despair over what we think we’ve lost instead of the damage our actions (or inaction) caused. On the first day of the greatest sorrow we’d ever faced, my husband asked me for my computer — and as I’ve written in the past (here) you know that I humbly and gladly did so. I recall thinking: Anything! Anything at this point, I will do it. I knew. I didn’t need to be asked twice and I didn’t need an explanation — nor did I give one. I knew. My days of being overly distracted by the computer had culminated in a breach of attention to my home and resulted in a deep time of sorrow, chastening and redemption.

Time and space do not allow for recounting of the marvels and miracles the Lord showed and did on my behalf and on the behalf of my family. In the 97 days one of our daughters was away, in the near death experience of our missionary son, in the loss of friendships and in the division of our home church, God worked deeply, powerfully, tenderly, painfully and lovingly. I cannot blame, nor do I seek to blame, anyone or anything… but this I know: what the devil intended for evil, God is working for good.

The life goes on part is this: When we face trials and temptations, we can be assured of these very things: God is working all things together for our good and His glory and “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” –1Cor 10.13

The days I thought I could not bear: passed. They passed by and underneath were the loving Arms. They way of escape? A humble and contrite heart seeking faithful obedience. Period. I don’t know how else to explain the outpouring of grace in those dark days (and these). When we seek Him, He is faithful and just to hear our prayers — and though the consequences may continue on (and be ugly!), you can rely on this: God is and will be at work as time goes on. He is the restorer of the breach — He truly is! He is the lover of our souls — He truly is! And every son [daughter] He loves, He chastens — ouch, He truly does!

So then what? What’s after a big fall? I learned a valuable truth about God in the earthquake, the wind and the storm — the Lord taught me this at the time and then later during a study of 1Kings. It’s what I most longed for — then and now — the still small voice of the LORD. “.

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.
And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
1 Kings 19.11-12

After the fire: the still small voice — and isn’t that the sweetest .

Next: (part 3-ish) Make no provision for the flesh.