Staring down at our phones, stroking the screens as we scroll up through unending information and pictures. Social media has a strong hold on many of our lives. Can it be used in a way that honors God with the strengths it brings and avoids the pitfalls?
I have argued for how we can use social media to improve our prayer life and glorify God, and here I’d like to pose some questions we should ask ourselves in our social media use.
Are we falling into the trap of gossip in social media?
Are we frequently spreading what we see in the lives of others from their social media? Gossip happens when you want to be The Informant or simply be viewed as The One Who Knows Things. We may not even be spreading slander—we may just be spreading information to bolster our own reputation or make ourselves feel like we’re the center of information. I have a friend who uses a really beautiful phrase to avoid all kinds of gossip. She’ll say, “I want to let her tell her own story.” What a gracious way to avoid gossip. This doesn’t mean that we never tell anyone else news about others, but we should be cautious in doing this, rather than ready and eager to spread all news.
We may feel as if the information on social media is more-or-less public, and so it’s ok for us to spread it further. We may truly feel compelled to spread news as a way to get others to pray. But these rationalizations just aren’t enough to justify the spread of gossip, especially stories about others’ bad behavior. Just as the solution to too much social media consumption is prayer, the solution to gossip is prayer as well! If we just feel like we must tell someone about this terrible news—if it’s a burden we don’t want to carry on our own—we can take it God in prayer.
Have you ever considered that it’s impossible to gossip to God? He already knows everything, so we can’t give Him new information, and He knows all sides of the situation, so when we pray to Him, we can ask Him to help us to see the real truth! We can pray and ask Him to help the people whose behavior has us concerned, and we can have confidence that He will hear us and answer. When you spread gossip about a sister in Christ to another sister, that receiver of bad news may not be able to do anything about it. The most she may be able to do is pray. You may be presenting her with the temptation to gossip further. But when you bring the same concerns and complaints to God, He is truly able to carry your burden and work in the person’s life. Our own prayer (and not gossip disguised as “prayer requests”) is an antidote to gossip!
Are we rushing to judgment?
A lot of panic and distress have been spread on Facebook. I could use phrases like “fake news” but instead, I want to point to an ancient truth:
The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.
Proverbs 18:17
Before we hit the “Share” button, it is our responsibility to examine a matter. That means viewing it from both sides. If our examination of a matter is merely a deeper dive into the same side and the same information, we’re not being guided by this proverb. The truth is too important and valuable to assume that seemingly good information is correct and then to spread it quickly. Proverbs 18:17 seems to be focused on individual’s stories that we may hear directly. How much more challenging could it be to discover both sides and then produce an accurate judgment on information that isn’t coming to us from first-hand sources? In these cases, it should take us even longer to assess the situation before coming to a judgment.
Are we ready to fight against envy and lust?
Facebook and other forms of social media are a Vanity Fair of sorts for the Christian in terms of lusting for things we don’t have. It may be necessary to walk through this kind of battleground, and there may even be good that can come from it, but we are foolish when we don’t go into it with our spiritual armor on. Because we often use social media as a form of relaxation and entertainment, we may not be mentally prepared for the spiritual battle that it can be. FOMO and envy are serious temptations that we must be willing to battle if we choose to engage on social media.
For some of us, we should cut back or even cut out our social media entirely. If the temptations to envy and lust are overwhelming you, one way of battling this is just to cut it out completely.
And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell.
Mark 9:47
We can use social media to know more about others and help us to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and “weep with those who weep.” That is a God-honoring way to use it. But the mere fact that it’s possible to use it in a God-honoring way doesn’t ensure that we will do that or necessitate that we use it.
Putting On the New Self in Social Media
When we use it, we can let Romans 12 guide us in the proper usage of social media:
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Romans 12:9-18
Truly meditate on the above passage. Write out the phrases that stick out to you and how they can transform your use of social media. We can be led by the Spirit as we are scrolling and messaging.
Social media is a wonderful way to connect with people across time and space. We can renew relationships we had decades before, and we can stay connected when people move far away. We can use it in a way that glorifies God, avoiding traps of envy, gossip, and addiction. Let’s go to God today to ask him just how He wants us to change our use of this tool to be more focused on what is eternal.
What do you find the most difficult temptation in social media? What have you found helpful in battling that? Join the conversation by commenting below!
Suggested Reading:
“Drawing from the insights of numerous thinkers, published studies, and his own research, writer Tony Reinke identifies twelve potent ways our smartphones have changed us―for good and bad. Reinke calls us to cultivate wise thinking and healthy habits in the digital age, encouraging us to maximize the many blessings, avoid the various pitfalls, and wisely wield the most powerful gadget of human connection ever unleashed.” (Amazon description)
“What images should I feed my eyes? We often leave this question unanswered― because we don’t ask it. Journalist Tony Reinke asked these hard questions himself―critiquing his own habits―and now invites us along to see what he discovered as he investigated the possibilities and the pitfalls of our image-centered world. In the end, he shares the beauty of a Greater Spectacle―capable of centering our souls, filling our hearts, and stabilizing our gaze in this age of the digital spectacle.” (Amazon description)
“With gossip being so prevalent in our culture, it can be hard to resist listening to and sharing stories about other people’s business. But what does God say about gossip? In Resisting Gossip, Pastor Matt Mitchell not only outlines the scriptural warnings against gossip, but also demonstrates how the truth of the gospel can deliver believers from this temptation.” (Amazon description)
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