The Freedom Not to Post

The last week has been a bit busy for me.  As I mentioned in a previous post, our oldest is preparing to graduate college and go to Germany for a year.  The middle two are both in the middle of the college application process.  Lots of paperwork, appointments, etc.  

Add in the 18 year old getting her braces on, with all of those appointments; as well as my own ongoing appointments for my degenerative eye condition (boy, that makes me sound like a falling apart old man, doesn't it?); and then all of life's regular busyness: homeschooling, band/choir stuff, sermons to prepare, hospitals to visit, etc., etc. 

The point here isn't to whine, although I'm really good at that.  The point is to lead up to the fact that it's been just over a week again since I've posted.  And while I realize that at least two people will notice that, the point is that I feel guilty.  

I've had this silly blog for several years, and I've put some phantom requirement on myself that it really matters in life whether I post here or not.  As I've said before, in the end this thing is really just a catharsis for me, but I still feel some "obligation."  Kevin DeYoung has helped me with that. 

In his wonderful little book on busyness, called Crazy Busy, he addresses the issue of pride as one root source of our business.  The desire for pats on the back, to please people, to prove ourselves often drives the busyness.  He uses lots of other "p"s like: pity, poor planning, power, perfectionism, position and prestige.  All lead to busyness, and all come from pride. 

And then he tops it off with: Posting.  He writes this:  "If we're honest, pride lies behind much of the social media revolution...we can turn Facebook and Twitter into outposts for our glory.  Or...we can fear what others will think if we don't show up for hours, days, or weeks.  We don't want to disappoint hundreds or thousands of people we've never met..." {Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013,) p. 37}

Well, I'm not so prideful as to think that hundreds, or even dozens, will be disappointed.  But I do admit that my pride actual does think that someone might even notice.  Someone might wonder why I haven't posted.  When the truth is, you're so busy with all the stuff in your own life, you're not worried about how often something gets printed here.

So, I'm thankful to Pastor DeYoung for giving me the freedom not to post.  To free myself from at least this one little corner of the pride that adds to my busyness.  So, if you'll excuse me, I have a sermon to prepare for.  Have a nice day.