Seven and so Responsible

Tryn has been wanting to get her ears pierced for such a long time. Years. Which is saying something because she is only seven.

Steve and I were never opposed to ear piercing, we just...I don't know, wanted it to be special for the girls. Not just a, "Hey! It's Friday. That seems like a good enough reason to do something big like pierce your ears!" Haha!!

We have some good friends who use a rock/jar system for encouraging good behavior. You have one jar filled with rocks, in our case 34 (not sure why it was such a random number), and one empty jar. We told Tryn that each day that her stuff was cleaned up in her room she could take one rock from the full jar and move it to the empty jar. If she didn't clean her room that day then one rock would be taken out of the goal jar and put back into the first jar.

We thought it would take her 6-8 weeks or more to get her ears pierced. It took her 34 days. Not once did we have to put a rock back into the first jar.

This girl was serious about wanting her ears pierced.

I am so proud of her. I don't think she gets her dedication from me. I definitely would have skipped a few days. :)

Of course, I had to take pictures. Although Steve took this picture of the pre-piercing excitement and I am not sure what Kye is doing here...using Superman as a microphone? Haha! It makes me laugh though. 

Picking out the earrings!!

 The boys watching ever so carefully.

Getting a little nervous, although there is just ear cleaning going on here. There are no pictures of the actual piercing moments. I was doing mom things, making concentrated eye contact, and making sure we weren't going to have a meltdown. She did great though. She didn't even cry! 

First look at the new earrings!!

 Learning how to take care of everything with some help from daddy.

 And what was Berlin doing this whole time? Exploring every item in the entire store and staying away from Tryn because watching made her nervous. :)

I am so proud of you Trynie!!

The Belated Man Child Update

Kyeson is one lucky dude, everybody loves him. Adores him actually. Even his big sisters. Tryn and Berlin are constantly saying, "Oh, he's so cute! Kye is the cutest boy in the whole world. Don't you just think he is the cutest?!"

Well, yes, I do think he is the cutest boy in the world.

What's new with Kyeson? Hm. Well, instead of just existing as a member of this family, I would say that Kye is now old enough and developing enough to be adding his own personality and dynamics to The Haines Family unit. He has his own opinions, he is starting to like and dislike certain things. Things that Kyeson loves are trucks, emergency vehicles (especially the noise of the sirens), watching the helicopter land at the hospital across the way, playing outside, the moon, Superman, animals, the Zoo, reading books, Curious George, going on walks, the park, the beach, playing with his sisters, singing, 4-wheelers, loading up his pockets with rocks, playing instruments, and his dad. He loves his dad a lot. Favorite foods include Greek yogurt with honey, berries, toast, peanut butter sandwiches, Oatmeal Squares cereal, and sausage. Although he will eat other things, those are the main foods he will eat on a regular basis. Everything else is eaten based on whether or not he is the mood, which he is not a lot of the time. 

Things that Kyeson dislikes are things like feeling left out, vegetables in general, dinnertime (not kidding, he rarely ever eats dinner), being sick (my worst sicky for sure), and loud noises. If you are too loud he will put his little finger up to his lips and tell you, "Shhh." The 4th of July was classic. He sat in my lap during the fireworks and wouldn't let me take my hands off of his ears, not even to scratch my nose. He almost fell asleep watching the fireworks with my hands pressed up against his ears. He did then fall asleep in his carseat with his own hands pressed to his ears...while there were no fireworks going anymore. Haha!

Kye doesn't talk much yet, though he seems to get his point/wishes/desires across when he needs to. He has gone from having just Mr. Monkey, who he has now named OoAh (monkey sound), and has adopted a Pound Puppy and Kitty that my mom saved from my childhood. He loves animals so much that as soon as he saw this 20 year old little kitty he promptly claimed it as his own and called her Meow Meow. The Puppy doesn't have a name yet.

Something that Kyeson is famous for in our family is expressing his excitement over things. This is what happens: We will be playing outside and suddenly Kyeson will notice the moon. Or hear a siren. Or...whatever. Then it's, "MA!!!! AHHHHH!!!" [Insert loudest and highest pitch scream you can imagine a two year old little boy making.] This is how he expresses excitement about everything. Like we will be in Target and he sees a toy that he recognizes, so in the middle of Target, "AAHHHHHHH!! Ma, Ma, AHHHH!!!!" Or we see a monkey at the zoo, "AAAHHH!!!! OoAH!! Da, DA, DADA!! ZOO!" Totally embarrassing sometimes but one of my most favorite things ever.  Because he doesn't talk much he especially loves if he feels like he is having a conversation with you - which, because he still doesn't like people that he doesn't know well, only happens usually with me and Steve - but he gets so serious and earnest if he feels like he is communicating at our level. So cute. 

Some of my favorite Kyeson words:
Guitar - Gee
Tryn - TT
Berlin - B
Kyeson - KyeKye
Love - Sus (not sure how that came to be, but that's how he says it)
I love you - Eye-eye-oo.
Thank you - Taint too
Oh, and if you ask him who Superman is he puts his little fists up in the air and sings the first few notes of the Superman theme song, "Da, da, daaaa, da, dadadaDA!" I taught him that. He will actually try to sing and hum tunes more than he will try to say new words. 

He still uses signs as a regular part of his communication too, which is so helpful. Kye is also super interested in all things bathroom right now too, so we are thinking about potty training. However, I am not sure if I am ready for that yet because I don't think it is going to be an easy process. We might wait awhile...can't decide.  :)

Dear Kyeson,
I know this is a little late, but Happy Birthday my dear sweet boy. I can't believe that my baby is two and I really don't have a baby anymore! You are getting to be such a big boy. I am so glad that you are a part of our family, you bring so much joy and life to our household and I can't imagine life without you. You are my special boy and I love experiencing the world through your eyes, it's a pretty great world from your view. You are my best boy and I am so thankful for you. I can't wait to see how you grow and change over this next year.

Love, Mama

Pictures of the Birthday Boy

 Okay, so this is a lot of pictures from Kye's birthday. But it's only a few out of the 150 that I took, so at least I didn't post 150. You're welcome.

 Kyeson was having a hard time getting his presents open, wrapping paper is confusing you know. So he started ripping the wrapping paper apart with his teeth. Cute? Oh, so cute.

 Kyeson's room is Superman themed with vintage Superman comic books in frames, but this was his first Superman action figure. When I ask Kye what Superman says he puts one of his little fists in the air and starts singing the theme song, "Da, da-da-daaaaa!"

 My creative Trynie made Kyeson an alligator out of his present refuse for this birthday.

 Superman cake, of course.

 "I'm embarassed! Don't look at me!"

 Cheese face! :)

 Of course, the best way to eat cake is with your hands. Surprised you didn't know that.

I think now that Kye is two I officially don't have a baby in my house anymore, which is so bittersweet. Two is such a great age though. One of my favorite ages. I'm definitely looking forward to this next year and all the changes that Kye will make during it. Of course, Kye will also probably have to tell me to stop treating him like my baby when he is 30 years old, but...bye-bye little baby. :)

The Little Man Child Turned Two!

Yup. Kye turned 2 almost a whole month ago. In June I gave myself a deadline of the end of June to blog about his birthday. Now it's July 11th and at the end of June I gave myself a deadline of July 12th (exactly one month after the birthday) to get this blog done. Barely made it. Whoops! 

Okay, but let's be honest, summer is FINALLY here and who wants to sit around typing on a computer more than we have to when we can finally be outside!!!!! Kyeson and I don't, that's for sure. We love to be outside right now.

Kyeson's birthday was really fun and relaxed. Steve and I decided not to have a party for him because he doesn't like people. Haha!! I'm only kind of kidding. Kye still doesn't really like to feel "out of his comfort zone" and lots of people bigger than him wandering around his house for no apparent reason makes him feel uncomfortable. When he is uncomfortable there is lots of crying and whining. And who wants to make a boy cry unnecessarily on his birthday? Not these parents.

It took Kye almost two hours to open his presents because he was so intent on playing with each one as he opened it. He especially loved his new matchbox cars and Superman action figure (which Steve insisted that Kye must have, and since Kye lives with Superman, ahem, Steve, who can argue with that?)

Then we just played with birthday presents and played outside all day and ate Kye's favorite, sausage pizza from Papa John's, for dinner. We even got out the kiddy pool, even though it was technically not hot on June 12th. I'm pretty sure he thought it was a fantabulous birthday. Yes, fantabulous is a word, I promise. :)

I have just these few iPhone pictures right now, but update on the boy and more pictures to follow!

Happy Birthday Trynica!

Trynie!!

Oh my. You are SEVEN! My first baby turned 7, I can hardly believe it!

I love having you in my life! You are such a good kid. I guess you are like daddy when he was little, you like to follow the rules and don't like to get in trouble. But you are also like me, we both like to write and do artistic and crafty things. In fact, that's what you spend the majority of your free time doing. You don't color, you write books. You tell stories. We have stacks and stacks of books that you have written and illustrated yourself - and you always tell such creative stories. You even make books for other people, you are so sweet and thoughtful.

One of my favorite things about you is that you like to make people laugh, and that you love to laugh too. Recently you are really into trying out new jokes and funny lines, it's hilarious. I also love that you are such a sweet and helpful big sister. Kyeson, who calls you T-t, totally adores you and loves to play with you, so I think that is pretty good evidence of how great of a big sister you are.You are quiet and sensitive, but strong and very brave too. If you decide you want to do something you will try and try until you make it happen, which I guess is also something you get from me. You love making good friends, and love having friends. You love to play with friends, but you also like to just be by yourself because you just like to have alone time. You are a wonderful person and I am so thankful to have you as my daughter.

For your birthday this year we went camping! Daddy and I tucked away all your presents into the van and so you were really surprised when you woke up on your birthday that you still got to have your presents even though we were camping. What is awesome about you is that we had told you that we might not have room to bring your presents with us and you were fine with it! I thought that was very mature of you. I think your favorite present was your new bike. You rode it all over the campground, you even went out of sight from us, which made you seem like such a big girl. Your new thing that you are talking about is that you want to get your ears pierced now that you are 7 because you remember the one time last year that daddy told you that you could get your ears pierced some time after you turned seven. You have a very good memory. :)

You are treasured and love ever so dearly by Daddy and me.

Love,
Mom


The questions we asked you.

Favorite color: Red

Favorite food: Strawberries

Favorite dessert: Chocolate cake

Favorite thing to do: Play with Lili

Favorite game: Brave video game

Favorite toy: Sophie (stuffed dog)

Favorite movie: Brave

Favorite song: Any song by Taylor Swift

Growing Up

Tryn is turning 7 next week. Oh my goodness. Most days I feel like I am not old enough to have a 7 year old. I mean, really, it's easy to have babies who don't have many serious thoughts for themselves. They don't ask questions like, "How can Jesus be in every persons heart when he is only one person?" WELL. How am I supposed to explain the Trinity to a 7 year old when I don't fully understand it myself?!

Often I get nervous about my kids getting older. I don't know how to have older kids, and thinking about them being older and the things that I might have to deal with...well, then I just want them to stay the age they are right now and never grow up.

And then I realize other things about them getting older. Like a friend recently posted on Facebook about going on a 12 mile run with her son and I thought that it will be so much fun if I can go on runs with my kids someday. I can't wait for that...but they will need to be older first. And, honestly, I am excited about having girls and the possibilities of mother/daughter trips and going shopping for the perfect outfit together. But they need to get older first.

Then there are moments like church the other night. Tryn's program was canceled and so she was with me the entire service. Steve, of course, was leading worship and he had picked a song that we listen to regularly around here. It's called I Am Set Free by All Sons and Daughters.

I Am Set Free

You broke my chains of sin and shame and you covered me with grace.
You mend my life with your holy fire
You cover me with grace.
You are the hand that reaches out to save

I am set free oh oh oh oh
It is for freedom that i am set free.

And yes Lord, we are grateful for Your Grace and for Your Love.

You are the hand that reaches out to save.

I am set free oh oh oh oh
It is for freedom that i am set free

It was a newer song for most everyone at church and so people were not singing out, but Tryn and I listen to this song a lot. As a hush settled over the sanctuary because of the unfamiliar song I noticed Tryn standing next to me. I was holding her hand but her eyes were straight forward and hers was the only other voice I could hear besides mine. Just her and me singing along with the musicians, "I am set free oh oh oh oh..." She was singing with all her heart in a strong, pure, clear voice. It was beautiful. Because she is older we were able to stand and sing to Jesus together in a way that we never have before.

And I realized I am thankful and excited that she is growing up because she is becoming beautiful in a whole new way. I can't wait for what will come next. Bring on boys, crushes, dating, and the teenage years if it means we also get to have more moments like we did Sunday night, because times like that...those are priceless.

Pictures of the Kids!

I was realizing lately that I haven't posted pictures of my kids on my blog for an embarrassingly long amount of time. Whoops. I didn't actually even take these, I came across them on my camera tonight while I was editing for a client. They are hilarious. These next three are even blurry, but you'll understand why I posted them...and they are action shots after all. :)

And then there is Kye, playing with the girls. Story of his life. He needs some more little guy friends. Haha!

So, that's all. Just wanted to post some kiddo pictures for the mom's and grandma's. And me. :)

Let the Children Come

I mentioned the water truck day, one of the days that we went into Cite Soleil. It was crazy to be in such a dangerous place and even more crazy to realize the way that people were living and what poverty really looks like. People can really live without running water? They can really live amongst so much trash and filth? They can really live with so little? Yes. They can. However, that is not what sticks out to me the most from that day.

A few years ago I was at a retreat where a friend spoke, challenging us to really try to see people the same way that Jesus sees them. He spoke of how we interact with people all day long, from standing in line at the grocery store, to passing someone on the sidewalk, to being noticed by another driver on the road, to our kids, or spouse, or friends. We are constantly interacting with other human beings, and what if we actually started to look at them with the same lens of love that Jesus uses? I can’t even fully grasp the overwhelming and intense love of Jesus, but from that day forward it hasn’t stopped me from trying.

In many situations, especially the times when I am getting frustrated with someone or a person is being unlovely towards me, I try to stop and think, “How would Jesus feel about this person right now?” Or in tough situations I think, “This is not how Jesus would respond. What would he say instead?” I tell you what, it has changed me.Of course, I am no expert at “being Jesus” but I can’t tell you the number of times thinking along these lines has changed my heart towards someone. It is humbling to realize how many icky thoughts I can think about people and about how self serving I can really be. When I try to see someone like Jesus would see them, my heart always crumbles a little bit more. 

So, at the second water truck stop of the day last Friday the thought just popped into my head, as it so often does, “I wonder what Jesus would be doing if he were here right now?” And you know what? For the very first time in my life I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would be standing right beside me doing the very thing that I was doing. In fact, when I realized that I almost felt as if I could see Jesus out of the corner of my eye. If I turned my head just fast enough, maybe, just maybe I would catch a glimpse of him. 

There amongst filthy and unclothed humanity I had a holy moment. 

I couldn’t understand this for awhile. I think we can be like Jesus wherever and whenever. Standing in 100 degree weather in Haiti holding dirty children and handing out water is not the only way to be like Jesus. Yes, Jesus does say in Matthew 25, 

“³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

While this passage took on an entirely whole new meaning to me in Haiti, providing people with basic needs when you have plenty and they are in want is...well, it is a very humbling experience. However, Jesus also doesn’t say, “This is the only way to be like me.” So I have been mulling over this for a week now. Why, in that particular moment, did it seems so clear to me?

I think I figured it out today. It wasn’t because of what I was doing, it was because of how I was doing it. See, if I had run across one of those kids standing naked and dirty down at the end of my block, I probably would have called 911 so that someone could come and help me find her parents. I did actually do that once when I was living in North Minneapolis. I wouldn’t have picked up anybody’s naked child but my own, and especially not one with sores on her legs. I would have held her at arm’s length, if I had touched her, or him, at all. But while I was standing there in Cite Soleil I didn’t just let kids come up to me. I reached out to them. I picked them up. I held them close, and hugged them, and kissed their cheeks, and loved them with all the love that I had to offer in that moment. And that was the difference. It was me. It was my heart. 

I think that every time Jesus encountered someone, whether they were in desperate need or not, he reached out to them and loved them with all the love that he had to offer. He never cared if they were dirty. He never cared if they were unlovely. He never cared if they were clothed. He never cared if they were diseased. In that moment last week it was so clear to because I was able to put myself aside for awhile and just love some kids who so desperately needed to be loved. I wasn't thinking about myself. I wasn't asking or hoping for anything in return. I was just pouring out what I had to offer, love. I got to love those kids like Jesus would have loved them if he had been standing next to me, and that love mattered to them. I got to see those precious babies through his eyes. And they were oh so beautiful.

Haiti

I just spent several days in Haiti with an organization called Healing Haiti and now that I finally have time to sit down and write something I feel at a loss for words.

Being back at in Robbinsdale has been just a shock to my brain. For all the trips I've taken and the missions experiences that I have had, I don't think I've ever had such culture shock coming home. I've also never had my heart broken so many times in one week. I can't even count the number of times I have cried since last Tuesday. And then how to answer the simple question, "How was it?" 

Well, the best answer I have to that is that it was simply heartbreaking. 

When Steve and I were once planning to be missionaries to Poland a missions pastor and friend of ours said something along the lines of, "How can I give you that much money for a car and a washer and dryer when that much money would literally save lives in Haiti and Africa? If you can give me a good reason I'll give you the money, otherwise I'm going to use it to save some lives." We didn't have a good answer at the time and, to be honest, I didn't truly understand the full meaning of what he was saying. Yes, the souls in Poland need Jesus just as much as the souls do in Haiti, and could he really be saying that the money was better spent in Haiti? 

That was a good 7 or 8 years ago and it was taken me this long and a trip to Haiti to understand. 

There really are no words or pictures that can accurately describe what it is like to look at a tent city where 100+ people live in an area the size of my yard in makeshift homes made of pieces of tin, tarp, and bedsheets. Rocks and bricks hold the roof from blowing away and there is no running water and no toilets. Add to this picture a ground that is covered in trash and children who are only partially or maybe not clothed at all. There are tent cities that stretch on for blocks and miles. 

I can't tell you what it is like to stand on the sacred ground of a mass grave where 300,000+ bodies were dumped by truckloads after the earthquake a few years ago. There was no room to bury them all. Every single Haitian can tell you the exact date of the earthquake and what they were doing when it happened. One guy I met was in a school with 300 other students. He left the building to get a drink of water and when he stepped outside the earthquake shook the building and everyone in it died, he was the only one who survived. 

These pictures don't describe what it is like to hug someone who should get hugged every day, several times a day, and doesn't. I hugged hundreds of kids who should know the love of a mother every single day and they don't. They are hugged and loved by the occasional white American who stops into their lives for an hour or so...I tried to make each hug count as much as possible. But I know that hugging my own children once or twice a day is not enough for them, and it's not enough for Haitian orphans either.

Cite Soleil is one of the most poor and dangerous places in the world and I went there last Wednesday to deliver water to its residents. They have no access to water, no toilets, and an estimated 400,000 people live in area smaller than North Minneapolis. We did three water truck runs that day, to three different areas of Cite Soleil. When we drove up to the first place my new friend Katie turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, "I don't think I can do this, tell me something good." I was silent and tears sprung into my eyes, I had nothing good to tell her. When I stepped off the truck a little girl older but smaller than my son leaped into my arms and would not let me put her down the entire time we were there. I held her and hugged her and tried not to cry. Before we left that water stop we took a little walk out onto a peninsula. Cite Soleil has, ironically, the beautiful turquoise Bahamas looking ocean at it's western edge. We walked out close enough to touch the salty water, but I didn't dare. The peninsula was made up of layers of mud, garbage, and manure. The kids who followed us out there walked over broken glass with their bare feet and didn't even flinch. I carefully picked my way over earth that was really more trash than dirt.Once we reached an open space we stood in a circle with all the children and sang, "God is so good, he's so good, he's so good." And the children sang, laughed, and danced with joy. And I tried not to sit down and sob.

I could tell you of so many other moments just like that where my mind was blown away and my heart ripped open, but I can't right now. Like I said, I've cried so much this past week already. All I can say is that I am glad that our friend took the money and sent it to Haiti. Because just maybe I saw some people, some precious souls who have no hope and who still need a chance to hear about Jesus, who were still alive because of his great heart.

Spring is Here

Today is the first day of truly nice weather we have had all year. It is 65 degrees or so –several degrees warmer than any other day this year – and I finally get to open the windows that have remained motionless for so many months. When I walk into rooms they smell different and feel different.

As I write this from my sunny backporch, Tryn is leaping around the backyard singing, “It’s is finally SPRING! It is finally SPRING! Favorite season, favorite season.” And Berlin, in a sleeveless dress, tights and sparkle shoes, is marching around the yard chanting things about spring: "Spring is here. Piper can be outside. All the time. Spring is here. Little baby trees. And baby Jesus. We can have fun in the sun."

There is leaping, running, dancing and lots of singing.

It is glorious.

It is even more glorious to me this spring as this winter will be remembered as a long one. Literally and otherwise. The feeling that most of my world is feeling today, that glorious realization that the days hoped for are finally here, I already waited for once this year. The days of sickness in our house felt to me like a dark winter with long awaited days of health. And it didn’t stop snowing until APRIL 23. It snowed several times in April in fact, after the winter with several months of sickness. It really was a long winter.

Ironically, Kye started coming down with a cold yesterday and is in full blown cold and teething mode today. But it feels impossible to be unhappy about anything. 

Spring is here. The long wait is finally over.

We are very excited.

Bigger Than Social Media

I read another blog article the other day. The kind where someone is calling me to stop using Instagram, stop getting on Facebook, stop looking at Pinterest, and to stop reading blogs. You know the kind. If only I stop using social media my life will be much fuller, better, fulfilled, and more meaningful. 

The problem is that I don’t think that minimizing my usage or quitting is going to make me feel better about anything.  If I go on Pinterest and feel dissatisfied because I see a picture of The Perfect Kitchen, will I suddenly start being satisfied with everything I have if I never go back to Pinterest? If I’m on Facebook and see that everyone and their mother has been on a vacation in the past few months while I haven’t been on a vacation in the past couple of years, will I suddenly start feeling better if I never go on Facebook? I think not.

I get the point. Sort of. If the good parts of all of your friend’s lives are not right in your face whenever you are bored, you might find yourself a little less unsatisfied a little more often. I agree that real relationships cannot be built via the Internet. However, social media is not the cause of the problem. It’s you. It’s me. It’s the status of our hearts. If I get on Facebook or Pinterest and start feeling dissatisfied with my life or hurt by people because of their careless comments about who knows what, who is to blame? Facebook doesn’t cause me to be unhappy. And, to be honest, neither do any of those people. They didn’t post their comment with me in mind, trying to make me feel or be a certain way. No. It is just me. My response is all my own.

The crux of the issue is not whether or not I have a Facebook account, use Instagram, read blogs, or look at Pinterest. The question is did I wake up satisfied today? Did you wake up thankful for the things that you already have, for the blessings in your life? Did you give thanks for any of the things that you have before you opened up your computer and jumped online? Are you thankful that you are privileged enough to have a functional kitchen in a warm house before you got on Pinterest found the picture of The Perfect Kitchen?

Have you found enough satisfaction in the life that you live and lead so that you don’t need to go on vacation to enjoy the life that you already have? Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and see the world as much as anybody else, truly. I LOVE to travel. Love. Then we had three kids and decided to live on one income. But that didn’t negate the fact that I have dreamed of going to go to Italy since I was a little girl. Then all of my friends, and their friends, and the friends of friend’s acquaintances started going to Italy/wherever without me. And I didn’t want to look at their pictures online because they were doing something that was surely going to make me happy and I couldn’t go. But I couldn’t just stop looking at the pictures online as a remedy for my jealousy. What did that solve? I still saw friends, still heard travel stories, still knew that people went on trips – all without the help of social media. But after realizing that nobody I know has a more fulfilled life because of their vacations, I started to really evaluate my need to travel. Going to Italy wasn’t going to make my life better. Not to mention I am so blessed to be living the life that I have, I should be able to be completely satisfied and happy even if I never go to Italy or take another vacation ever. Italy sure would be fun, but it’s an expensive and extravagant form of fun (that I am sure I will partake of someday) that is not going to make me more Christ-like, more satisfied, or more content with my everyday life. 

If I am only asking myself the question, “Why do I look at Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest when all it does is make me feel unsatisfied?” I am really missing the question, “Have I found enough satisfaction in the life that I live and lead so that I don’t need to go on vacation to enjoy the life that I already have?” If I started to think that the only time I could really be happy is when I was traveling or vacationing, of course I was totally going to feel jealous or envious or dissatisfied every time I saw someone’s travel pictures. 

If I am not fully living here, right where I am, finding satisfaction with my everyday life and the things that I have, that is not the fault of social media. It is the fault of my own ungrateful heart. There is a reason why 1 Timothy 6:6 reads, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Being a follower of Christ and being content do not go hand in hand. If Eve had been content in the garden do you think she would have eaten the forbidden fruit? Being discontent and dissatisfied are at the core of our sinful selves, cutting out social media won’t fix that. If I think about how Jesus would live a life here, in the midst of social media and all that we have, I am not sure what Jesus would think. Personally, I don’t think Jesus would be campaigning to get everyone off Facebook . Instead I think he would call us all to examine our own hearts, to figure out why we feel dissatisfied or unhappy, and to change our hearts first of all. If changing our hearts resulted in less FB interactions, less Instagramming, and less computer time in general – well, great! I think he would just be calling us to live more Christ centered lives, and if we did all of those other things would become a little bit more irrelevant.