The New Spring

I use every Springtime as a sort of “do over” for New Years.

A time to clear out, not only excess clutter form my home, but also my life and my mind.

Every year, I cut out processed foods, meats, dairy, and sugars. In addition, I cut out processed society, too. I eliminate the endless chatter of newsfeeds and social media sites.
The first few days are always a challenge. You don’t realize how much of a habit it is to just pick up your device and do a quick scroll.
That quick scroll usually ends up several minutes.

Several minutes you can’t take back.

Then, you have an assortment of miscellaneous stories and status updates taking up space in your thoughts. Disturbing news stories, useless quizzes and polls, not to mention the slew of ads that randomly pop up.
Pure mind clutter.
The thing is, we don’t realize how much it clutters out thoughts and our days until we take it away.
Stopping social media not only decluttered my thoughts but it also gave me more mental clarity than ever before.
It was like spring cleaning my mind.

The times I caught myself wanting to scroll a news feed I filled with The Word, and my mornings were refocused on devoting my day and life to Him, not them.

The same way a freshly cleaned house livens up your mood, a freshly cleared mind livens your soul.

I have never felt more joy, peace and purpose in life.

Sure, there were several friends and aquatences I wanted to keep up with… Babies coming due, birthdays, and prayer requests were still tugging at me, but: God always makes a way for communication in His time.
There is a time for all things.
It’s in the acceptance of that time we can find the peace that we all long for, a peace that surpasses all understanding.
My time here is limited, and I won’t allow it to be stolen by distraction.
I encourage each of you to take the challenge:
Spring clean your mind. Take back your time.
Don’t let your days be stolen by distraction.
You can’t get back time.