Almost everyone in our day uses social media. Whether it be your grandma on Facebook, your best friend on Twitter, or your little sister on Instagram, we all know people who use it daily. We also live in a selfish world. Our world is so me, me and how can I please me. We are more worried about how we look and how many likes we get than we are about the impact we make. I see more girls post dog selfies to get attention than I see girls who post about things that really matter. But what if we chose to change social media? What if there is a group of people who vowed to use their social media to change the world? What would happen if our social media accounts became less us-centered and more Christ-centered? What impact could we make? How would we see change?
Social media is so powerful. It gives us the power to say and do almost anything without having to really face someone. We can catch up with that person from high school without actually having to see them and we can bully someone to the point of depression and self-disapproval, all from behind a screen.
Social media also gives us a great outlet to share Christ with the world. There is not a day that goes by that most people that have social media don’t check it and maybe what you have to offer is just what they need to hear that day.
So, how can we do this? How do we glorify Christ through a computer or our phones?
I recently deleted my old Twitter and made a new one and challenged myself to post things that were positive and that would be honoring to God. No, I am not perfect and I mess up sometimes, but I strive daily to share with others encouragement and the love of Christ.
Whether it is a verse you came across that day, a thought in your head, a part of your bible study, or even some lyrics from a great worship song, you never know who needs to read that on that day. I probably annoy people sometimes when I tweet and tweet about something from my quiet time that I found so intriguing, but that’s okay, because I share for the one person that maybe needs the same encouragement that I found so useful.
Who you follow and who you're friends with also speaks a lot about your life. I try my best to follow accounts that are positive and uplifting. Yes, I still follow my friends, but I like to follow people like David Platt, Chris Tomlin and others like writers, pastors and wise Godly people. These types of people are constantly speaking truth through their posts and are always offering an encouraging word or a challenge for your day.
Following accounts like Compassion International, Unlock Freedom and World Vision also give great opportunities to raise awareness about needs and our world and offer opportunities to put our faith into action and make a difference. Need a reason to pray today? Just follow one of the accounts and you will hear stories and needs from all over the world.
So what will we do? It is so easy to sit behind a screen and do the wrong thing and not have to face the problem directly, but can we be bold enough to sit behind the same screen and change ourselves and instead of tearing people down, build them up and encourage them in Christ's name? Let’s be the generation that uses our technology for good and to glorify our Savior.
