Freedom from the Trap

What a time of enlightenment the last few days have been. After getting
tired of people on Facebook being rude, I considered closing my
account. After prayer, getting my husband's counsel, and praying some
more, I altered my decision slightly. Instead of closing it, I am
weeding down the friends list. The list will consist of mainly family
members, church family, and a few close friends I have from a trucker's
wife group that I have been a part of for nearly 6 years.

Within 2 days of making that choice, the Lord blessed me greatly. I ran
out of airtime on my prepaid cell phone, which is my only phone and the
only method I have to access the Internet from home. It was frustrating
to not have contact with my beloved Joe, but in the 2 days I was without
phone service my eyes were opened. You see, I have a nasty habit. If I
get a text message, I feel compelled to have to read and reply if
necessary as soon as I receive the message. I didn't ever want to turn
off the phone's sound unless at the library or church in case Joe tried
to reach me. So, like a slave running to it's master, I would stop
everything to deal with messages. I rarely get a phone call. Joe is
about the only person who ever calls me. It seems that everyone wants
to communicate through text.

In the 2 days that I had no phone service, I made a great deal of
progress. The first day, I canned up 4 dozen jars of meals using
ingredients that we already had in the pantry. These will be great for
Joe to take on the truck as well as make quick meals for the kids & I
here at home. I was able to get bread baked for ourselves and some to
share with a neighbor. The second day, I completely finished arranging
the homeschool room turning our front room into a study area. I
rearranged the furniture and assembled 2 bookcases to add to the room
for storing school supplies. While the kids were napping that day, I
also got the mowing done in our yards. This all is in addition to
homeschooling Abigail and doing therapy with Micah.

Today, I am going to buy more airtime for the phone. I am really
missing talking to my beloved. I was still able to receive text
messages, but couldn't reply or make/receive calls. While I am out, I
am going to be at the library and will be shutting off the text
notifications for nearly everyone on my friends list. The only ones
that I will continue to receive is the ones from Joe and a couple of
people who write only a daily uplifting note that is edifying and
encouragement to me spiritually. This will eliminate the overwhelming
amount of texts that I was receiving daily.

I learned that unless you carefully consider how you use the cell phone,
it can become a trap. If you did not have the cell phone (or Internet)
for a few days, how much more productive would you be in your day? I
have come to realize just how much I was failing in my having good
stewardship over the time that I have each day. When I see just how
much I was able to accomplish each day it is humbling as well as
convicting. I am so grateful for the blessing of this lesson.

I have been talking much of removing the clutter from our home and my
life. As I get each room done, I am seeing that each is not only easier
to maintain, but I have more time to do other things. I am not feeling
like a slave to my home in that I am having to spend so much time with
cleaning that I have little time for enjoying the day. I am realizing
just how badly we were becoming caught in the trap of having more than
was necessary.

The peace and simplicity of the study room is a good example for me of
how the rest of the home will feel to our family once it is all
completed. I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Next is
completing the children's room and then the pantry/storage area. I
should have it all done within 2 weeks. What a relief & blessing. Our
home definitely has more in it than my dream of having a sparsely
furnished home like those you see at museums, but it would be considered
sparsely furnished by worldly standards. Our home does reflect however
that we put great emphasis on the family and our children's education.

The greatest blessing in all of this? As I am removing the clutter, I
find that I not only have more time with to enjoy the kids but I have
more time in the day to spend in reading the Bible. I am finding as I
study the Lord's Words that the more I read, the more I realize I have
yet to learn. I am getting past the basics and am starting to see more
of the "meat" of what the Lord is trying to teach us through scripture.