I quit Twitter. I've been thinking about this for a while, and it's not like I'm a big loss to the Twitter world. I mainly retweeted others and occasionally put up a picture, but I would look on it quite a bit, and that's what got me thinking. Was it a profitable use of my time? For me, I came to the conclusion that it was not. Not because my time is more precious than others or that I'm smarter or wiser. It's just that over the past year I have been in this battle of living in the present. Showing up where I'm at, like a saying that I have always loved, "bloom where your planted." Corny, maybe, but it is true none the less. The thought of living in the present seems like a no-brainer, but the more I listen and observe others, I don't think I'm the only one who struggles with this.


Many people, myself included, think too much about regrets and things we should have done and then we switch to what's coming down the road. Meanwhile, there is scenery on either side of us and we are oblivious to it. The reality is that we are taking pictures or filming a moment instead of just taking in it, and not even to mention the biggest failure of all, how many people are we just flat out ignoring because we are on some form of "social media." 


I know, yet another note about the evils of "social media." But, I'm really not trying to put it down. I've considered quitting everything, Facebook, Instagram, etc., but my tendency is almost always to throw the baby out with the bath water, so, I truly want this to be a "conversation" about this and to let you in on my own thoughts.

While this choice has been one I've pondered for the past few weeks, the topic of whether or not all of these outlets are profitable for me has been on my mind for a long time. Paul states in 1 Cor. 10:23, "All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up." I have asked myself this question with everything I am on..."Is this profitable for me?" Does it encourage thinking, the actual turn on your brain thinking, or am I just checked out? Does it encourage me in Truth and beauty? Am I learning something that could benefit those around me? Is it helpful? This is my own checklist because I know my own struggles, but there are others that could be included too. How much time to do I spend? Am I ignoring others? Am I present in the moments I'm given? I think our human tendency is to leave out the 'profitable' part, and not even to mention verse 24 which says, "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." When I include vs. 24 I have to ask myself the question, "Are these used for the good of others?" 


We just finished going through Gospel in Life, a series by Tim Keller. The themes he goes through have been ones that God seems to be bringing up in our lives the past year, the main one being, that as Christians we are to be alternate, an alternate family, an alternate city. I have realized that in my own life I tend to just adopt the culture around me without asking those same questions that I asked with Twitter. Yeah, I throw out the blatant things that I know are sinful, but I sense that it is through these lawful things is where I get off course. I want to be that alternate person, that alternate family. I want to show others I am about real relationships. I want others to know that I care about what's going on in their lives, that they don't need to clean themselves up, because truth be told, I need help too. 


Think about it, we all long for community and relationships, and the solution has been to create them through outlets that end up bringing us no satisfaction or sense of purpose, and let's not even put our real selves out there, let's re-invent and create the person we want to be. Then there is the vicious cycle of not having anything to talk about because we already know everything that has gone on in each other's day or week, so when we actually do get together we don't have much to say so...let's just hang out while we look at our phones, IPad, TV, etc. Getting out of this cycle, alone, is worth it to me. 


Moving has brought me face-to-face with these decisions. It is the picture perfect example of what I'm talking about. I want so badly to keep up with everything that's going on in Springfield, but I have to face reality, I can't. Not only physically can I not, but emotionally I have to let go. Obviously, I will know some things and I have close friends and family, but all that goes without saying. It's just that I can't have "one foot there and one foot here." I have to look at what is going on around me. Invest in the relationships that God is putting in front of me. Show up every day in my life, my family, my apartment, my city. 


Here in Amsterdam, I notice that people focused in on their phones doesn't seem to be as prominent, but I know that people are people everywhere, so I know the culture here is not completely immune. But, starting over in making friends and building relationships makes me think through what I have to do to start that conversation to get to know someone. I have to think through what it actually looks like to be that alternate person. Someone that is not seeking my own good but the good of my neighbor and the good of my city. Will I quit anything else? I don't know, and I may not even stay gone forever, if it ever becomes profitable for me and those around me, I'll be back. But for now, I'm becoming more and more comfortable with the fact that I live here...