I spent a weekend shadowbanned on Instagram – quite intentionally by God I may add. As I prayed about it, God extended my ban. He said I cannot post on any form of social media, except SnapChat for the weekend…#wow.
I could engage with others. I could watch what everyone else was doing, but for one weekend, three days, nothing on my social media could be about me. I could not promote. I could not keep my ratings up. I could do nothing but sit and watch others do what they do.
My first response was relief. Thank goodness – three full days off!! Then, I began to worry. Who am I without likes and followers and fans? Just a mom and a wife and a friend.
“Yes! Yes! Remember her?” He replied.
I smiled. I sure love that girl.
Then I sat down to check e-mails and looked up to watch my favorite part of Hitch where they are speed dating, and Will Smith is explaining why the world needs a date doctor. He said that nice guys finish last and good guys never actually get the girl, and he actually protects the world from “jerks” (clean version). He continued explaining that the only reason the he had a business is that the world can stand to see nice guys win…good guys win.
And I cried. Only then did I recognize the self-imposed stress. I did not know. I could not see it in my quest to change the world. I heard God telling me to slow down. I heard Him telling me to stop, but I just kept going. I kept cleaning. I kept volunteering. I kept budgeting and re-budgeting and playing with my children and writing and posting.
Even today, I just kept going. I shut down social media, but then I obsessed over saving every penny and what I would wear and cleaning one more floor or tub or counter or corner…
“STOP!!! Just stop!” I heard “Be still…”
Then I fully comprehended what He was trying to tell me. The shadowban was only a piece of a much larger picture. The power was not in the posting but in the position…
Weight, power, and speed training all have what they call the power position. The position requires that before you can make any moves, before the move counts…the lift…or the race…or the time trial, YOU MUST BE COMPLETELY STILL.
Nothing counts afterwards if any movement takes place. You must start over and sometimes there are no second chances. Thus, when your coach…or your official…or your starter…
When the person tells you to assume the power position and wait, you stop.
You stop.
And you wait on your command.
So that people can see you win. So that the good guys can finish first. So you can clearly hear God’s instructions. So that God can transform your ordinary into extraordinary.
“Be Still and Know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
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And now for your free printable (because I love these things, and I make them for fun to hang around my house)
Be Still Printable Black and White
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What are some ways that God has told you to “be still?” I’d love to hear your feedback.
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Linked at Friendship Friday.
ordinarilyextraordinarymom 
Be still….something so important yet sometimes overlooked. Still He beckons us because His love for us is so great!! Check out my post at journeyingbyfaith.com/be-still
to see His call to me.
Blessings
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Definitely going to check this out. And yes, I certainly ignore/overlook what He is trying to say half the time. Thanks!
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So good! I recently had that prompt to be still and I felt like God was telling me to give the time I could to this blog venture and He would do all the rest. So, I dont regularly check stats, or stress about not “keeping up”. And I know that any successes can only be pointed back to him and not my own efforts.
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Yes! Yes! Yes! It has nothing to do with me. It’s not even about me! YEEESSS!!
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A break from social media can be great 🙂 Why were you banned from Instagram?
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My sister experienced it a while back. It’s called a shadow ban. No one can really explain the exact root of why it happens, but if you use too many of the same hashtags, or like too many pictures in a small time frame, or use a hashtag that someone, somewhere abused, then the Instagram police think you are a spammer and your posts only show in limited feeds. None of the hashtags come up and you know how the computer does, your picture may or may show in even your followers feeds based on algorithms. More aggravating than anything else 🙄
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That being said, I enjoyed the time off.
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I have been guided to practice Sabbath rest each week, and on that day I do not use the internet either. God has repeatedly told me to pray more. Also as part of filling my mind with Scripture, I am to memorize Scriptures and read the Bible. Oh and I am to be yoked to Jesus, and let Him lead, and me follow. (I know these should be things all Christians do all the time, but I wasn’t, and God is showing me it is urgent that I do these things.) Thanks for this post, and for asking for input from us.
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I have been practicing the Sabbath my entire life, but many times I do not disconnect from the Internet. I need to incorporate that into my practice. I’ve been led more and more to do that.
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