I have an addiction. In fact, I have two addictions and God has been working on me with both of them. Therefore I am going to do something about them because addictions are serious and should not be taken lightly, no matter what they are. Trust me, I've been fighting this battle in my mind for a while. I've decided that God is going to win this one.
I have an addiction to screens. TV screens, Computer screens, and my tablet screen. If I do not get on my "screens" at least once a day, I struggle with feeling out of the loop or even not in control. Here is a definition of an addiction from Dictionary.com
ADDICTION: the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
Here's another one from Merriam-Webster dictionary.
ADDICTION: compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly: persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.
Now you may be doubting whether or not I am truly addicted to screens by this definition and I may not be. I may simply be wasting my time with screens. But God has been making it ever so clear to me that I spend too much time with them and
when you say yes to something,
you are saying no to something else
My time on the internet and the TV has become potentially harmful not only to me, but to the state of my family.
My second addiction is to Cherry Coke. Yes, I know, you may laugh but if you've ever been around me when I have gone for 24 hours without my Cherry Coke, it's not so funny. I get migraines and I'm crabby and irritable. I'm often making runs to the gas station when I run out for more Cherry Coke. It all started with pregnancy cravings and then grew and became a dependency. This one I know is a true addiction and I cannot stop it cold turkey without it affecting me negatively.
1 Corinthians 6:12 has become a verse that has been resonating around in my mind in regards to my "addictions."
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. (1 Cor. 6:12)
My screen time and my Cherry Coke have definitely been dominating my life and it needs to stop. So I am. Now before you get all worried about what will happen to my blog, it's staying put. God has plans for "Stringer Mama" and He has laid this blog on my heart. But what I am doing is going on a fast. A No-Screen Fast for one week. Starting today, even as you read this (I scheduled it to post!) all of my screens are unplugged and sitting in the basement for a week.
My plan of attack? To see what my life is like without screens. That means no allrecipes.com so I'll have to start cracking open some of my own cookbooks. That means no emails, so I may just have to CALL the people I want to talk to. That means. . . TIME. To do . . . I have no idea. But I'm concerned about it. Crazy I know! I'm concerned about what that time will look like. All I do know is it will be good for me, and good for my family and at the end of the week, I will come back and share my experiences with you. But I will also be doing something else - yup, weaning myself off the caffeine.
But can I ask you to do something for me? I need your prayers! My addictions may seem piddly to you and I know I am not trying to stop smoking or alcohol or drugs or anything. But this is going to be HARD for me and I could use your prayers.
Pray:
- That I stick with it.
- That God packs in the HUGE lesson that He has been trying to teach me.
- That my family is understanding and survives (my kids will be going without Curious George and Busytown Mysteries for a week!).
And who knows what my perspective will be when I come back? I don't really know, but I'm looking forward to finding out! So here's me, signing OFF for a week!
In HIS Grip,
In case you were wondering about the Life In Our Fishbowl Link-up, I'm afraid there really wasn't very much interest. If you would like to see it come back, leave a comment or email me at Ann@StringerMama.com. I will bring it back but only if there is enough interest! Thank you!
