Admitting I Have A Problem

Hi, my name is Bethel and I hear that the first step is admitting to having a problem.
See, I gave myself a social media 'time out' this month and it was.. enlightening. During the first three days I actually experienced withdrawals. Sounds extreme but it had genuinely become my addiction. I'd made a habit of using even just a few seconds of free time or singular moment of silence to grab my phone, open the app and quickly peruse that news feed.
Distancing myself from the 'noise', if you will, left a strange stillness in my days. After surviving the first few days of feeling hopelessly cut off from society, I began to sense a newfound freedom. I could truly be here, all here, without any pressure to describe the moment with a catchy status or posted photo.

Putting the world on mute in this way enabled my ears to discern new sounds; how Owen's laugh is changing as he grows, the intensity of crashing waves, and the sweet, comfortable quiet at the end of a day as I curl up on the couch by my best friend. Believe it or not, there is a vast difference between 'sitting together' and 'sitting together but actually being a world apart as we stare at our various mobile devices'.
Now, I'm not hating on Facebook here. Trust me, I'm excited for my 'sabbatical' to be finished; there are LOTS of baby pictures I've been missing out on and several friends that I can only stay in touch with via the internet. I'm not even saying it's a horrible sin to check your phone while in the presence of other human beings. I'm simply sharing my own experience and the realization that it can (and most likely WILL) get out of hand. Everything in moderation, right?
Maybe I'm the only one here with a Facebook issue. And maybe this isn't about smart phones or technology at all. But it is a matter of priorities. Where is my heart? We can say the right things, but where we spend our free time speaks louder than those 'right' words ever will. Whatever form our addiction comes in, it will take over our brains and relationships and the ability to simply bask in a still, quiet moment without feeling the desperate need to somehow fill it.
Tuning in to the chaos and chatter of the world can rob you of THIS moment. It isn't until we turn down the volume of outside sources that we begin to perceive the still, small voice of the only One who can give us abundant life! 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.' John 10:10
Here's my thought: Satan desires every square inch of our day to be filled so that we don't have time to listen for Hope and seek out Truth. The 'thief' will use whatever he can, good and bad, to keep us distracted from real life. If we are constantly entertained and stimulated and connecting and browsing.. it's easy to forget what Psalm 46:10 says: "Be still, and know that I am God." 
Seriously. It happened to me in the most 'innocent' of ways.
We each have to decide how to live this one life we're given. I'm not advocating cave man days, here. I appreciate new inventions and indoor plumbing as much as the next guy! I enjoy staying in touch with friends that live overseas and I actually believe social media can be used to glorify God. I am, however, praying that we ALL make time to sit in silence for a few moments today because there is no telling what we may actually hear! Don't strive to fill every void, either. Leave room for imagination, uninterrupted glasses of sweet tea and the stillness where we truly begin to realize that He is God. 

[zip lining over a waterfall!]

[watching fish jump with these two <3]