Unfollow|Day 7

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
~Mark 13:5

Social media has created a world in which validation is equated to how many likes and retweets one can get. Have we become that self-absorbed? Are we allowing a complete stranger to define the things that should matter to us the most? This lack of self-awareness has caused us to search outside of ourselves and look to others who don’t necessarily have our best intentions at heart. At a very early age, I learned that I wasn’t beautiful. I was bigger than the other kids, darker than the other children, and just awkward. Already at the age of 10, I could pass for an older teen had it not been for the pigtails. So at the age of 13, a handsome boy showed me attention, and I showed him my body. He gave me affection, and I gave him my virginity. I gave him the most precious part of me because I felt lucky that someone made me feel beautiful. It was a behavior that created a life of promiscuity,drugs, and excessive drinking well into adulthood. The drugs and alcohol allowed me to be numb. It also help give me the false courage and perspective that I was in control. I learned that my body was my bargaining tool. I also learned that what warranted attention, didn’t keep the attention of those people for long. I learned to deceive with my body, and they learned to deceive me with empty promises.
My roster of partners became my validation. My objective became, how many eyes I could get to
wander? How many men and women could I cause to stray? I became the woman at the well. The exterior of power, but the interior of complete brokenness. One day I looked into the mirror, and that 13-year-old girl was now 33. How long would I allow this to carry on? How long would I permit the person in the mirror, the men and women I encountered, and the adversary to deceive me? God tells us to be on guard, to watch out and pray. He says this because he knows the battle between the flesh and spirit. We have the will to want to do right, but if we are spiritually lacking, then we are easily deceived. Jesus in his compassion warns us of this as well. Even well after I decided to take control of my body and who I gave it to, I still felt the need to feed my flesh with validation from social media. Those likes and comments felt like a natural high. A high that would never last long and cause me to crash like any other person with addiction withdrawals. It wasn’t until my 30 day fast that I received the conviction to be delivered from what the world told me I was worth. I unfollowed my flesh to follow my God.

-Are you up for a challenge? I would like for you to fast from all social media for seven days! During this time I would love for you to also write in your journal about your time during this fast. Take this time to reflect on who you were and what you did before the explosion of social media and gauge where you are now. How do you feel about this?