Admitting a Mistake

Sometimes as human beings we get things wrong!

Sometimes we can get things wrong and keep quiet about it because nobody knows about a decision we’ve made that has unforeseen consequences or complications only for us personally.  Nobody else needs to know.

There are other times when we make a decision that seemed perfectly reasonable at the time but that we realise, in the light of subsequent facts, or events was a bad decision, or perhaps not the most helpful decision: and cannot keep quiet about our mistake because the decision was made public.  This is especially the case when that decision is posted about in two separate blogs and announced on Facebook!

Ooops!

A few weeks ago I made the decision to fast from Facebook for Lent: and that this would not just be a negative giving up of something but a positive move in that I would use the time for theological reading and reflection and spending time physically with family and friends, instead of virtually on Facebook!

It’s been less than a week and I have realised that, for me, the decision was a bad one.  I hadn’t realised how much I would miss the daily interaction with friends that Facebook enables.  I hadn’t thought about all the opportunities to pray for others that Facebook brings.  I hadn’t actually thought that should I come down with a ferocious cold bug and have to stay in the Manse; a cold bug that has severely limited my concentration and intellectual prowess to watching TV and using social media.

Or to put it another way, I’m ill and bored and I need something to keep me from being bored!

No doubt some well-meaning friends and family will mock me gently and tell me they knew that it couldn’t last.  That’s OK.  I made a bad decision and now I’m admitting it and changing my mind.

Giving Up Facebook for Lent

Lent is, for Christians, a time of spiritual preparation for the coming of Easter; more important to some Christians than to others.  It is a time of reflection, a time of Bible study and prayer, a period where as Christians we are consciously preparing to commemorate Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection in Jerusalem: preparing to remember again and celebrate all that Jesus the Christ has done for us.

Fasting has long been a tradition in Lent, though these days rather than fasting people usually either give something up or do something new and positive that they haven’t done before.  It isn’t something I’ve ever done with any success.  I lasted two days one year giving up bacon for Lent and a fairly impressive two weeks giving up meat.  I nearly succeeded in not drinking any alcohol for the whole of Lent whilst at college training for ministry and then accepted a glass of wine without thinking about it whilst I was a guest in somebody’s home.

As you will know if you read my last blog post, this year I have decided to do something that is both a giving up and a positive step.  Apart from posting links to any blogs I write, I’m giving up Facebook for Lent.  This is not to suggest that Facebook is in any way bad, or something that Christians should avoid: indeed it is essential that there is a strong Christian witness and presence on social media.  I have made the decision because I realised just how little reading I get done these days, especially theological reading and I’m sure the time I’m spending on Facebook is at least partly to blame. 

So, I’m coming off Facebook for Lent and using the time gained for theological study and reflection: something I hope will not only be of benefit in my own Christian discipleship but that will also benefit the congregations I am privileged to serve.