What 40 Days of Fasting Social Media Taught Me About Focus, Trust, and Rest in Christ

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and tested by the devil for forty days. Every year leading up to Easter, Christians around the world enter into lent –a time for reflection, repentance, fasting and spiritual renewal.

This year, I joined that journey for the first time.

It was something that had been on my mind since a close friend had fasted from social media last year for lent. Then in early March, I thought – “I should do that this year…” I took out my phone and checked the dates for lent, it started that very day. I immediately deleted my Facebook and Instagram off my phone, texted my closest friends to ask for prayer and got offline.

I unplugged with the desire to reconnect to Christ. The first week was the hardest, my fingers were conditioned to check the apps every time I opened my phone. Curiosity was looming, but more than that I had a deep sense of the presence of the Spirit and the invitation to embrace the wilderness with Christ. To walk slowly, to be more intentional and to be fully present in the moment. I felt my soul being led to those still waters that Psalms 23 speaks to. I had to be intentional with receiving the invitation to be still, to rest – to just be.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name. – Psalm 23:1-3

During this time, I was intentional with spending time in prayer, in my daily life – folding laundry, driving the kids to school, while talking with others. It was an invitation and opportunity to stay focused on Christ with little distraction. I was mentally free from the uproars of society and the avid keyboard warriors. I felt a deeper awareness to the world around me, the people in my daily life, the strangers I bumped into, and the conversations I had with my kids.

There was a deeper connection rising within my Spirit – a quiet rumbling of the spiritual waters bubbling up from within. I found a deeper recognition and sense of awe for the clear fact that Jesus is everything to me. Without him, I know that my life is meaningless. My identity is rooted in the assurance of my salvation because of what He did on the Cross. His sacrifice, His love and dedication overwhelmed me in new ways.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13

I recognize that I can easily sway from the priority of Christ in my life. That the ease of technology we have today can replace the quiet times of waiting that come whether waiting in line, at the doctor’s office or while on the couch watching a movie with my husband and kids. 

I don’t want social media to be the thing that draws me away from the presence of the Spirit in my daily life, from the laughter of my kids and the joy of seeking the heart of Christ through his Word. I don’t think that social media is all bad, there are of course good things about it. What I have come to appreciate is the fact that if anything becomes a priority above my relationship with Christ, it is something that needs to be evaluated.

I strongly encourage you to consider taking some time away from social media, encounter the world outside of the algorithm and accept the invitation of Christ in this season of solitude. May your soul find rest within the still waters of his heart for you.

Mount Robie Reid