The sun is shining, the air is a bit warmer, and I can feel spring right around the...but wait...there is snow coming! Ah...just when I get my hopes up! Anyway, it's a lovely day just the same! For God made it, and I am going to rejoice in it!!!
I never expected to be posting every day, and I know it probably won't be like this forever...but I have so many things on my mind I feel are important to share. I had several topics in mind, but once again, I was inspired by a Facebook post by a dear friend and Sister in Christ. She always presents great questions and muses that invite her friends to take time to reflect and consider the possible answers.
Because her post is extensive in length, I am going to paraphrase. Essentially she asked, "Is Facebook and social media really worth it? Although, social networking sites are originally created for good; building relationships, reuniting long lost friends, and sharing daily good news for all "three hundred friends," too often they are also used for quite the opposite-destroying relationships, gossiping, and the collapsing of a once wholesome reputation."
Wow! I read this post and found myself having asked the very same question not too many weeks ago. I am often dismayed at what pops up on my homepage. Come on...you can't tell me you love everything that appears when you first log in. I mean, how many of you have spent time hiding posts, blocking people, and removing the random adds that pop up? I do! Every day! And because of this, I sometimes wonder why! Why I put up with this nonsense; why I don't delete my page and walk away for good.
But..you guessed it...I responded back to this post, after some serious consideration of course! I love when I am asked to honestly reflect-even though what I see staring back isn't always glamorous.
I responded with the following..this is the exact post...no paraphrasing here. Oh, I love copy and past...again...the two fold blessing of technology!
"I
completely agree with you! There is ALWAYS two sides to each coin, story, or situation. But! I
truly believe God has blessed
us with the gifts of technology. But! I also know
Satan seeks to destroy EVERY good thing God has created and will
create. However, like you
said, You choose to use it for good! You choose to glorify God with how you share
your abounding love and the Good News everyday! We are not responsible for how every
other person acts, but we ARE responsible for how we act in ALL parts of our
lives...ESPECIALLY on the worldwide media. It is just another way for us to be
held more accountable. I
hate that so many bad things come from Facebook, and have considered on
multiple occasions deleting my own profile. But then I think of all of the
wonderful people I've met in my life that are only accessible through
Facebook…like our wonderful foreign missionaries. I love seeing their updates and
photos. It brings me as
close I'll probably get to some of them! So I keep it! But, I am extremely careful about what
I say, post, and like on Facebook, because it will all come back to my testimony
and walk for God! It's
like my Blog. So many are used to bash, spread hate, and rumors; but, I am
choosing to lift up others through experiences of my own. To share my mistakes, so others may
learn from theirs. To God be the Glory in ALL things...EVEN social media!"
How many of you struggle with being a strong witness in ALL parts of your life? Again..not pointing fingers, but simply asking you to reflect. We have communication at our fingertips (quite literally), and it is a GIFT that is often abused and misused.
Consider for a moment..and I know this is a tangent-but stick with me for a moment....cyber bullying and hate crimes that are committed on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and many many more. I did a research paper on this very topic for a sociology class; thus, it hits close to home for me. Just because it is not said directly to the person or a name isn't mentioned, does NOT make it any less harmful. The results are often irreversible and too often...fatal. How many times have we seen in the last five years, suicides of young men and women, because they are victims of cyber bullying and bashing? How easy it is for their attackers to smear their names and reputations behind the safety of a computer screen and profile name!
Ah! How Satan is also using the gift of technology, except he uses it as a tool to destroy...that is just how he rolls.
The power to either lift up and encourage or tear down and destroy is insurmountable. Now, I am not accusing you of being a cyber bully or spreading hate....these are very extreme examples. But! Even the smallest tease or jab at someone can be blown way out of proportion. A person's tone or intention are not always perceived accurately through text as it would be in person. And! We all know...once on the internet, it's ALWAYS there. It doesn't matter how many ways you delete or wipe away the hard drive or soft drive--the words and choices you make will NEVER be erased.
More importantly, aside from the literal evidence, consider the spiritual ramifications. Matthew 6: 22-24 says, "The eye is the
lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body
will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great
is that darkness! "No one
can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he
will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and [insert whatever you struggle with that takes you away from God].
In addition, Matthew 5:13-16 sums it up very nicely, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its
saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill
cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead
they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the
same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Yes! Even Facebook and Social Media can be used to spread the light of God and His love...but it is our choice if He is glorified. Satan is crafty and will do whatever it takes to taint something beautiful. Why! Oh why, would you choose to serve a Beast like that?!? (taken from one of my favorite sermons). Just make sure you're not consciously or subconsciously furthering his hate and deceit! Rather, seek to spread the Good News of God's love and ministering to fellow brothers and sisters and more importantly, the millions of lost people who do not know or have not yet personally experienced His Saving Grace!
May God Bless you today! More importantly, may YOU choose to be a Blessing to others!
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