“The other day, I left a Facebook group while I was in right in the middle of a conversation. And by conversation, I mean one of those weird pseudo-arguments that happen in online groups of humans brought together by only a common sport, a school, or a neighborhood.
It had nothing to do with the other people, or even the conversation, and had everything to do with my heart.
You see, I can’t help myself. And I need to start.
Because our hearts, you guys…they are just a little raw and bruised—maybe from all the world is throwing at us.
It’s OKAY to protect them a bit.
How will you know if you should do this?
Well, when comments of people who are not dear to you, or who are strangers, hurt you or anger you in unreasonable ways.
When you find yourself down unproductive rabbit holes, debating things that don’t matter with people you will never see in real life.
When you find yourself replaying these conversations in your head or readying yourself to dive back in and prove yourself right.
Get out and don’t look back.
We need to be careful who we give our hearts, time, energy, and gifts to.
Just because we can interact with all the people all the time doesn’t mean we should.
Protect your heart and energy today, friends. Leave the places which need leaving. Scroll on by the comments section on the post. Unfollow the pages causing your heart rate to go through the roof.
The people left behind will continue to duke it out about how your district is running online school, or why flag football should have run as planned, or who is lying about what without you there.
And the people near and dear to you need you to save your limited energy for them. And you just might feel the weight of the world on your shoulders lighten just a bit when you click that little ‘leave group’ or ‘unfollow’ button.
This is the day the Lord has made. Let us not spend it fighting on the interwebs with strangers.
Amen.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Hiding in the Closet with Coffee by Amy Betters-Midtvedt. Follow Amy on Instagram here. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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