Kindly, Kayla

Hi Friends!

Today I wanted to talk about something that’s been on my heart lately. Living a quiet and peaceful life. There is so much noise and distraction in the world today and I feel that these things can take us away from our walk with Christ. So I am going to share with you my thoughts on this and how God has been revealing things to me over the start of this year! I hope you enjoy it!!

Naturally, I am a sharer. Perhaps an oversharer to some people’s standards. I love to talk and if you know me personally and closely, you know this as well lol. But lately I am starting to feel weird about oversharing, especially on social media. Often I share things on my Instagram account that show my daily life, places I travel to, and things I’m up to. (I want to first say that there is nothing wrong with this! There are so many influencers that get paid to make content like this and I love to see it!) But for me personally, I have started to feel called to share less and less. I can be out to eat with my family, and in the back of my mind I’m thinking about how aesthetically pleasing I can take a photo to share to my story on Instagram, when in reality I should be enjoying the time with my family. I obsess over my Instagram feed, wanting all of the pictures to be perfect and match nicely. It feels embarrassing to say but I even find myself caring too much about how many likes I get. There’s absolutely no reason for me to be putting myself under so much pressure for something that doesn’t even matter. I don’t get paid to post anything so really I am sharing my life to others, for free. Privacy is such a valuable thing and it is seeming to become less and less valued these days. Trust me, I am not saying this to condemn anyone, as I have posted many things on social media over the years. I just feel like God has been opening my eyes.

So many petty things get shared online. Arguments between family members, drama, and things that maybe others didn’t really need to hear about lol. I am not condemning social media and posting. I love sharing uplifting things about God and sharing fun things I do with my family and friends, I just think there should be some balance involved. There is so much peace in living life in the real world without others having to know what you’re up to. 

Lately, I have been trying to spend less time on social media and consuming other people’s lives. Comparison is the thief of joy. I often find myself scrolling, seeing updates of my peers and thinking wow. Why haven’t I made it to that stage yet? Why do they have this lifestyle and I don’t? I have to constantly take a step back and remind myself that everyone has a different timeline on life for a reason. You are not behind. God has you exactly where you should be. There is so much time!! I just want to encourage you to know that God’s timing is perfect. He is never late. Getting off social media has truly allowed me to find peace and be content in my life. I have a wonderful life and I shouldn’t let other people’s highlight reels make me feel bad about myself. Not consuming so much makes my mind feel at peace. Constantly consuming reels and TikToks causes me major information overload. That’s why I have decided to take a step back from being on social media. Waking up and spending time with God instead of picking up my phone first changes the whole trajectory of my day. My mind feels at peace after abiding in Christ.

 I came across the scripture 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 which states, “and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” I also want to share the commentary my study Bible made on this scripture, “Working hard, staying out of everyone else’s business and concentrating on the many tasks the Lord has given her to do is a lifestyle that will enable a believing woman to have a flawless testimony before believers as well as unbelievers.” Here’s another perspective from Enduring Word Commentary “The quiet life contradicts the hugely successful modern attraction to entertainment and excitement. This addiction to entertainment and excitement is both damaging both spiritually and culturally.” The Bible literally tells us to live a quiet life and when we live a quiet life, we can listen and hear God clearly!! I often complain about not being able to hear God speak to me but how can I hear if I’m not giving Him space to speak? It also basically told us to mind our business and I think that speaks for itself lol. 

I said all of this to say, I’m choosing peace, mental clarity, and most importantly God over all the noise and distraction. There’s a quote by A.W. Tozer that says, “whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear.” Ouch!! I know that social media has kept me from the Word and I refuse to allow that to keep happening any longer. The enemy wants us to be distracted from God.  It has honestly been a struggle for me lately and I’m writing this blog post to encourage myself and others to keep fighting! I know I can’t do this on my own strength, I need God to help me through this. 

I hope this inspires someone. Thank you so much for reading.

Kindly,

Kayla