Do you ever feel overwhelmed and bombarded by the thousands of messages that hit your eyes and ears everyday? Through social media, music, books, podcasts, conversations, advertisements and more?
I do.
There is just so dang much information out there. All of it has to be sifted, weighed, considered. Sometimes it feels like too much and I feel myself getting confused, distracted.
Am I supposed to be a minimalist, or believe God for abundance in all areas? Am I supposed to deny myself or enjoy the gifts God has given me? I should focus on my fitness, my diet, my health. I should focus on my children and find my fulfillment in my calling inside my home. I should focus on my personal abilities and ambitions, and what I can contribute outside my home. I should plan and cook organic from scratch meals. I should order pre-prepared food to save time. I should give my children freedom in all things. I should insist on my children’s routines and manners and unquestioning obedience. I should share my life and faith with friends. I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to be. I’m supposed to pour my life out. I’m supposed to have boundaries and say ‘no’. I’m supposed to know the right clothes to buy for my body type. I’m supposed to not care about what I wear. I should know my personality type and learn all about who God made me deep inside. I should get my eyes off myself and get them on Jesus and others around me.
Oh. My. Word.
It’s just too much.
I think we agree it’s overwhelming. There is valuable insight to be learned through online programs. There is new research everyday about health and parenting and the headlines show up in our faces. So many people online have a message they want to share, encouragements to offer, affirmations to pour on Mommies, Bible reading programs that work. Even me, I’m writing on this public blog! Is much of it good? YES. But there is just SO SO MUCH.
All of those statements three paragraphs up have truth in them for different people at different times. And it’s about moderation, right? I totally believe that. I believe in seasons, I believe in different lessons and callings and focuses for different people. I love learning about what clothing makes me feel good. I love getting rid of things, and I love getting new things too. I could go on and on…
The problem is this: we are hearing ALL of these messages ALL THE TIME because there is just so much dang information and so much sharing happened in our faces all day everyday.
Do you know what I mean?
It’s getting harder and harder to know what is for me IN MY CURRENT SEASON. We are seeing everyone else in their season. And what they are doing just looks so perfect. Even though they are saying ‘It’s not perfect’ and ‘Be who you are’… we still find ourselves wanting to be that. Then we see someone else in a different season and it looks like just the right thing so then we wanna do that. They are all saying ‘This is just me in this season’… but it’s still looking pretty darn good on them and we want that too. So we are just trying to do IT ALL. Or feeling confused because we literally can’t, even though people on social media seem like they are doing it all with excellence.
I know social media isn’t a true picture of a person’s life.
And I know I am not them.
But still.
Ugh.
Must. Filter.
But sometimes my filter gets so clogged.
And I get confused.
I find myself needing to scrub my filter back to it’s original state. To remove all the gunk that's built up.
I want a freshly scrubbed filter.
I want the messages coming at me to run quickly and fresh and clean through the filter before they come into my heart and my mind.
To clean my filter, (which I didn’t even realize I was trying to do) I’ve been asking myself…
What is the actual purpose? What is important? What are my goals? What am I doing? There are so many things screaming ‘I’M IMPORTANT’ in my face everyday that I’m starting to notice how many voices there actually are.
And I find myself saying back…
“It can’t ALL be important.”
“It can’t ALL be the POINT.”
“Like, the ACTUAL POINT.”
So, this is where my brain has been lately. It’s a deep place, I’ll admit.
…to be continued…
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