Let's face it, the world we live in today is crazy about social media. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and many other sites demand for our attention each and every second of the day. But when we fill their appetite for attention, are we filling God's need for attention too?
For the past week or so, I have gone without social media, and I must say that it has been worth it. When you make a sacrifice such as this, whether big or small for you, God notices. He sees your effort and your intentions, and He meets you in the middle so you can experience the greatness of His love and affection.
Don't get me wrong; social media can be a great thing. But when we become attached to it, certain problems may occur:
1. We begin to see our worth in the number of "likes" instead of the vastness of His love.
Comparison is a game that can't be won. Through social media, we may begin to compare our lives to others' lives based on number of likes, followers, or comments.
We see all the cool activities that others are doing; we see all the endless, flawless selfies.
But what we don't see are all the other pictures that weren't posted; we don't see the outtakes and other things that may have been going on.
When we compare ourselves to other people, we sell ourselves short of the extreme love and grace that God has for us all. God doesn't care about how many likes you get on Instagram. In fact, Mark 10:31 says, "But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then." God's love reaches everyone, and it is not dependent on how popular you are at all.
2. We begin to change ourselves to fit in with our "followers."
We see what pictures get more likes than other pictures. We see what people have more followers than other people. In our efforts to become more popular, more well-known, or more liked, we post what people want.
We have the ability to shape people's perceptions of ourselves through our social media.
Want to be seen as trendier? Awesome. Just post a picture with yourself modeling the latest style.
But God doesn't want that. He wants us to be the same person everywhere we are. This includes our social media.
When we change ourselves to fit in with our followers, we also become prideful, exalting ourselves to show others what we are doing, what we are wearing, or anything of that nature. But the Lord over and over again counteracts pride, saying that the prideful will be humbled and that the humbled will be exalted.
We don't have to exalt ourselves; with the Lord, His love causes us to overflow, and we are lit up "like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden." (Matt. 5:14).
3. We begin to care more about what the people we're "following" are doing than the people we are actually with.
Be where your feet are. My brother loves this saying. Basically, it just means to be present wherever you are and whoever you are with.
Social media can become a major distraction whenever we're with other people. We scroll through Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, missing the dialogue. Words are so powerful. We all have the great ability to speak life into anyone at all times, but how can we accomplish that if we're constantly scrolling through social media any time we're with them?
When social media becomes more about the people we're following and less about the people around us at the moment, we've missed the whole point. Actively loving people doesn't come from "liking" their picture; it must come from the heart, and we must presently listen to them so that we don't miss any opportunity.
1 John 3:18 says, "Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions." Perhaps if this verse were written in modern times it would say, "Let us not love with 'likes' and 'comments.' Let us be actively loving."
This next week, I want to present some challenges to you.
First, I encourage you to delete some of your social media. You don't have to delete the actual accounts; just try going without the apps. Unplug from the world for a little bit. You won't miss it.
Second, I want you to think about your intentions and motives with your social media. Do you post so that others can think what you're doing is cool? Do you compare yourself to others constantly? Do you find yourself craving more followers?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, go back to the first challenge and start there.
If you answered no to all of those questions, great. Now, think about what your social media accounts are doing to transform the Kingdom. Aim to further the Kingdom of God with every single post you make. Let your social media be all for Him and His glory.
~em
