To be or not to be...on Facebook

For about 7 weeks, I've been off Facebook. I have not looked at my page, nor noticed friend requests, nor private messages. What a pleasure it has been to have all that extra time for all kinds of other activities. I also remembered that social connection is worthwhile, so I spent more time on the phone and in-person contact with people in the US and here in Australia. When I was alone at an eatery, I didn't log onto my smart phone to see what others were doing; I read a bit, and pondered a bit, and enjoyed the silence of the media. Alone... not a bad place to be.

Wait, you say, God said, 'It is not good for a man to be alone.' And of course, I agree with that. And that has to do with lifetime relationships between a man and his wife. Still, there are times, when a man has to be alone with God, and a woman has to be pondering all that God is saying to her individually as well. I'm not Roman Catholic, but I always liked St. (Mother) Teresa's comment about prayer: Dan Rather, US news anchor on CBS-TV, once asked Mother Teresa what she said during her prayers. She answered, "I listen." So Dan turned the question and asked, "Well then, what does God say?" Mother Teresa smiled with confidence and answered, "He listens." Another of her famous quotes on solitude is here: "We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls." (Quoted in Quotes
For more famous quotes from this gentle soul, here they are .

I guess all this to say, take some time to pray, to listen, and to ponder. Enjoy your meditation time with the Almighty. If you have time to join in the community of Facebook, so be it. Share God's good love with others on social media. But if you feel yourself swallowed and consumed by the need-to-know or the look-at-me self-exposure, then pull back. My seven weeks away was refreshing and moderating. May you also find God in your April and May, and throughout your days.