Lately I've been craving a nearly complete cut-off from everyone except my family and those around me here in the USA. I think it's a good thing; when I imagine it, I feel free and peaceful. I've spent way too much time chatting with friends back home. My life is so orderless because of it, and my Spiritual life suffers as well.
And so the first plan is to wean myself off of gchat. I've grown to dislike gchat for several reasons. But there is one in particular that is effecting me.
It keeps you from the real world.
I have a friend who HATES any form of chatting. Gchat, fb, msn, etc. If you catch her on it (it's like spotting a rare and nearly extinct bird) and message her, sometimes she won't even reply (although she has read the message). I think it's hilarious! And I love it. (But get her on the phone and she'll talk the whole time!). Her first priority is evangelization, she doesn't waste time on things like fb or chat. She's too busy being a presence in other people's lives... and she does this without the support of a Catholic community on campus. I've seen the fruits of it. She's also very disciplined in doing her schoolwork because she realizes her University career is setting her up for the field in which God will use her to evangelize. How many of us actually realize that? How many of us know that but don't truly understand it?
I realize that fb and chat can be used for evangelization, and I've seen it done beautifully too!! But for me, a physical presence is more important than a cyber presence. We can't see how each other truly lives their life by surfing their fb page or from a chat (surface conversation or deep), from an article posted or a Bible verse in a status. And how we live our lives is our #1 witness, and without a Christ-centered lifestyle all is done in vain.
I want to invest myself into people's lives and not waste time on chat, staying in the "loop," being a part of inside jokes, etc. But a part of me holds on. What if I grow apart from people? What if those I hold closest to my heart fade away? It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, one that could only be driven by His grace. He's all that matters and His thirst for souls is infinitely more important. I desire to go out into the real world carrying Christ's light, gently, humbly.
Pray for me!
And so the first plan is to wean myself off of gchat. I've grown to dislike gchat for several reasons. But there is one in particular that is effecting me.
It keeps you from the real world.
I have a friend who HATES any form of chatting. Gchat, fb, msn, etc. If you catch her on it (it's like spotting a rare and nearly extinct bird) and message her, sometimes she won't even reply (although she has read the message). I think it's hilarious! And I love it. (But get her on the phone and she'll talk the whole time!). Her first priority is evangelization, she doesn't waste time on things like fb or chat. She's too busy being a presence in other people's lives... and she does this without the support of a Catholic community on campus. I've seen the fruits of it. She's also very disciplined in doing her schoolwork because she realizes her University career is setting her up for the field in which God will use her to evangelize. How many of us actually realize that? How many of us know that but don't truly understand it?
I realize that fb and chat can be used for evangelization, and I've seen it done beautifully too!! But for me, a physical presence is more important than a cyber presence. We can't see how each other truly lives their life by surfing their fb page or from a chat (surface conversation or deep), from an article posted or a Bible verse in a status. And how we live our lives is our #1 witness, and without a Christ-centered lifestyle all is done in vain.
I want to invest myself into people's lives and not waste time on chat, staying in the "loop," being a part of inside jokes, etc. But a part of me holds on. What if I grow apart from people? What if those I hold closest to my heart fade away? It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, one that could only be driven by His grace. He's all that matters and His thirst for souls is infinitely more important. I desire to go out into the real world carrying Christ's light, gently, humbly.
Pray for me!
This is good and it makes perfect sense :) I'm almost never on gchat anymore but it's mainly because I don't have the time. Great post Rachel :)
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