Before the days of  Facebook and social networking, it was easier, relatively speaking,  to get up in the morning and have some quiet and alone time to read, think, pray, and journal.

Because I  use my electronic devices for much of my journaling and even reading, I’ve noticed how easy it is to check the e-mail inbox and Facebook status first thing; why not, my computer is on anyways?!  At times I’ve become so caught up in it all that before I know it I have used up the time I had.

Or, do you ever do this?  A little intentional reading, check Facebook, back to reading, check email, back to reading, etc.  In doing so, I rarely get to the deeper places of my soul.

I noticed this past winter that checking social media and email first was becoming a daily trend.  In reflecting on what was happening,  I came to see that I was looking for something first thing in the morning to give me a sense of meaning, purpose, something interesting to engage my heart and mind, to make the winter day seem like not just another ordinary day.

Of course, not once did I ever find something that could truly fill the need. When I really thought about it, I didn’t know what, really, I thought I would find.  Because the truth is, what I was looking for can only come from One Source.

To stay true to who God has made me to be, with the unique imprint of the creator on my life, why would I compromise that by getting “fed” from other sources than the one who created me?  As they say, “you are what you eat”… if I feed my spirit with sources other than the source of LIFE itself, what do I become other than something less than what I could be. My sense of purpose and where I belong in God’s story will be reduced to the story found in whatever Facebook posts I happen to read that day!

So my renewed heart and prayer has been to receive a fresh download from God every day. Something from the Source of Life, from God’s own heart that reminds me of and connects me to this greater story we find ourselves in. When I take the time to seek that, it seems that God is ready to give me the download. That is where ultimately I find the meaning and purpose that I am looking for and need for my life.

Only insofar as you eat and drink flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of the Son of Man, do you have life within you. John 6:53

To be mature is to be basic.  Christ!  No more, no less!” (Col 1:26).