As the new year ushers in its fresh start, with it comes opportunity to pause and ask ourselves Is there anything that needs changing? Any areas of improvement I’d like to tackle?

I was surprised when a late night soak in the hot tub turned into a prayer that would become my New Year’s Resolution…

2018 New Year’s Resolution:
Gouge Out My Eye

Sound a bit morbid? A little melodramatic? Yah, I get it. Not your typical New Year’s Resolution. But it’s time…

---

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.
 Matthew 5:29

---

Ten years ago I never thought I’d be writing this post. I didn’t want any part of this thing to begin with. And when I finally gave in, I was warned, “Be careful. It can easily take over your life.”

Hello, Facebook.

Aware of its gravitational pull and persistent invitation to waste time, I was purposeful and cautious to guard against such. Quantity of time is not the issue for me. And though I’ve regularly posted tidbits from my own life, I’ve not fallen into Facebook’s vortex of megalomania (not yet anyways).

My enjoyment of Facebook has come from knowing what others are up to and seeing their pictures. Thanks to Facebook, the distance that separates me from friends and family hasn’t felt quite so far.

That being said, what I’ve come to discover is that it doesn’t take a large quantity of time or a narcissistic personality to stumble into some serious heart issues as a result of social media.

Today I offer insight into three areas of sin I’ve personally struggled with during my decade affair with Facebook:

1. Covetousness
2. Wrong motives
3. Vain imaginations

1. Coveting My Neighbor’s Whatever...

It’s right there in the ten commandments: “You must not covet your neighbor’s… house… wife…servants…animals…or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17) I don’t want your house, spouse, or animals, BUT… I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that wife’s post featuring flowers and coffee from her Beloved and thought to myself, “I wish my husband did that.” In that moment my man just got a demotion. Or, to come at it from a husband’s point of view, what longing might be aroused in a man’s heart because he read another wife’s loving words about her own husband and wishes for the same kindness and respect in his own marriage?

Seeing what someone else has – whether it be in relationships, possessions, physical appearance, career, ministry or adventure and travel – can awaken a desire inside us that five minutes ago didn’t exist! The fight for contentment is real. And in my own life the battle becomes increasingly harder when I’m looking at the best in everyone else’s world and comparing it to the worst in my own.

2. Wrong Motives

Not always but more times than I care to admit, I have shared thoughts and pictures in the hopes that it would show somebody something. I am THIS – this kind of mom, wife, and friend. I’m that kind of Christian. I’m with these people doing these kinds of activities. Pretty immature, right? Somebody tell me I’m not alone in this!

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)

Beware of doing things in order to be seen by people, Jesus warns. Social media brings this everyday-temptation to a whole other level, doesn’t it? It provides far too easy an opportunity for us to covertly display our ‘righteousness’ without seeming entirely self-promoting.

Double-checking our motives before posting pictures and sharing thoughts is hard enough; harder still is the battle to maintain sober judgement under the buzz of Likes and Comments.

3. Vain Imaginations

I love that Facebook allows me a peek into other families’ lives! I make no apologies about that! But – in less than 2 seconds – Facebook can turn from blessing to battlefield…

…see! Her house is always clean and her cooking looks divine; she’s better …
…Look! Their marriage is fun and romantic; they’re happier …
…wow! He bought THAT? He’s wealthier…
…what? Their kid won state champion, climbed Everest, and graduated Law School by the time they were sixteen?!…they’re way better parents…

It’s so easy to look at pictures and connect imaginary dots that form fairy tale stories about the lives of others, forming inaccurate conclusions based on faulty assumptions!

An even greater temptation (for me anyways) is to look at numbers of Likes and Comments as tools of measurement to gauge my worth and popularity. As if that were the voice of Truth… ugh.

So, for me, it’s time. Time to gouge out my eye into the world of Facebook.

–Now, please hear me on this-

I am not saying that everyone else should do the same or that Facebook is evil. Not at all! This is very much a personal issue. Facebook has become a stumbling block for ME, in MY relationship with the Lord. I can’t walk with a pure heart and right motives while keeping one eye on Him and one eye on the world.

I need boundaries.

Therefore, I will continue to share blog posts and photos but will avoid reading comments or looking at Likes. If you have a thought or comment you do want me to see then feel free to do so on the blog post itself (there is a comments section at the bottom of every post). I will still read and respond to those! I won’t be scrolling through my Facebook feed even though it means missing out on photos, updates, prayer requests, and inspirational stories. I will still receive private messages and am happy to correspond in that way 🙂

Thank you for reading (and hopefully hearing) my heart. Now it’s your turn…

Is there something in your life worth cutting out, or at least setting boundaries around? Is there anything you’re looking at, or looking to, that’s causing distance between you and Lord? I encourage you to ask Him to show you what tangible step you might take to guard your heart for the sake of knowing Him better!

May God be lifted high IN us and THROUGH us in 2018!

---

If you enjoyed this article then please share on social media so that others can be encouraged through this ministry.

Subscribe to BeautifullyMessedUp and receive new posts via email as soon as they’re published (every two weeks)! *This is a non-commercialized, advertisement-free blog. Email addresses are kept confidential.

Niki Schemanski is a wife of eighteen years and homeschooling mother of three children. As a child her love of singing led her into the world of pageants where she won numerous titles, including Miss National Pre-Teen, and traveled nationally to perform and speak. At seventeen her love of singing was joined with a newfound love for Jesus thus birthing the heart of a worship leader, a role she has served in both professionally and voluntarily for sixteen years. She and her family reside in Durango, Colorado. (Read More: About The Author)