“And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!”‭‭~ Romans‬ ‭5:5‬ ‭TPT

On January 3, 2022, I decided to step away from reading the online news and from engaging in social media for 21 days. I silenced the blips and beeps of my iPhone notifications, as well. The silence was eerie.

On the 21st day, I hesitated about engaging with social media. The noise level in the periphery of my mind had been turned down so low, I could barely hear it. The visuals connected to news stories and vivid descriptions of events and potential disasters had faded from my mind’s eye. There had been no blips or beeps. I had been sleeping better during those 21 days, as well. I went to bed when I was tired and woke up without an alarm.

So, on January 24th, I decided to extend my social media and news “fast” into the first week of February. And then, BAM! When I turned Instagram back on and opened up the news on my phone app, I was stunned. It’s not as if I didn’t know that there were countless crises happening around the world. I knew.

What I didn’t know, until it was over, was for five weeks I had shielded myself from the lack of hope written and spoken into the narrative of countless news stories and social media posts.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” ~ Proverbs 13:12 NIV

I know enough about myself to know I am fueled by hope. I tend to be optimistic, but hope, a hope grounded in the faithfulness of God, is more powerful. This is the hope I need now. This is the hope I am embracing more tightly than ever.

“Hope is a song in a weary throat.” ~ Pauli Murray

(photo credits: Linda Freeman, Broadway, North Carolina, January 2022; YouVersion Bible App, February 13, 2022; David Samuel, Redland, Florida, December 2021)