Facebook is an invention. And like all inventions—such as the microscope, car, or gun—it is not innately evil. It is the people that misuse Facebook who seem to make the invention evil. Sinners twist good things to serve themselves. When this twisting causes an invention to be a vehicle for hurt, fear, or anger, some people decide to stop using it altogether.
However, even though Facebook is used by sinners, it can still be a great blessing. Here are some ways it can be used for good.
Announcements: We just had a baby! We moved. We’re back from India. I will be off Facebook for a bit. We’re grieved to say that my grandma passed away. I lost my cell phone; P.M. me if you need me. We're having a boutique tonight. Chickens for sale.
Proud Moments: Look how cute my baby is! I just won an award! My son is going to college! I just painted this room!
Shared Delights: Doesn't this food look awesome? Everyone ought to read this great book I just finished! I got a puppy! This is a funny joke. Here's an interesting fact. I'm sharing this post for future reference.
Request for Help/Understanding: Join me in this cause. Any ideas how to get rid of bed bugs? What's a good gluten-free restaurant? Pray for me; I'm having surgery on Friday. Is anyone else out there grossed out by air dryers in public restrooms or is this just me?
To Give Gifts, Encouragement, Sympathy, or Advice: Your baby is cute! We're sorry for your loss. Way to go making that meal! I want to buy your Girl Scout cookies. Have you tried such-and-such? I have that thing you're looking for.
Keeping Updated/Connected: This is primarily done through looking, so I have no sample comments.
We’re blessed to have so many ways to share our lives with others. Unfortunately, we humans tend to twist things to serve our own purposes. Don’t we? We use Facebook to self-protect and self-justify, to convince ourselves that we're making a difference in the world, to satisfy our needs for love, wisdom, respect, and validation.
When we go to Facebook for these reasons, we can feel threatened, fearful, or offended by other’s posts. We’re jealous of other’s vacations. We’re self-conscious about how people will see us. We’re offended by the way someone generalizes. When this happens, we’re tempted to judge other’s motives and hearts based on our own insecurities.
Let me give some examples of this. The self-serving motivation heart behind the post is in italics, and the type of sin is in parentheses. I don’t mean this to be a guide to interpreting others' posts, but a way to search our own hearts. After all, it’s easy to see other’s faults. We’re usually blind to our own.
Announcements: I’m going off Facebook; it has become too ugly and volatile. And I hope some of you feel ashamed of yourselves because it's all your fault. You are threatening my sense of (fill-in-the-blank). (Seeking revenge)
I have decided that my political stance is XYZ for these reasons, and I hope that justifies me in your eyes because I need my friends to understand and think well of me. (Seeking human validation)
We took a day trip to the local mountains, and we loved every moment. We are a simple family and don't need your costly vacations to be happy. And that is why we are holier than thou! (Bitterness and self-righteousness and jealousy)
Proud Moments: I just won an award! I hope so-and-so sees this and finally realizes that I'm successful/wise/good. (Seeking self-worth through human validation)
I just rearranged this room and I can’t decide if I like the placement of the chairs in front of the windows. I’m afraid people will comment critically so I will beat them to it by criticizing my own work first. (Image management, fear of criticism, insecurities)
Shared Delight: Everyone ought to read this book! But I really hope so-and-so reads it because this book addresses that issue they have that I absolutely can’t stand. (Seeking control over others, lack of love)
Here's a funny joke that is flippant about something that everyone is taking way too seriously. I’ll mock it because I can’t take these issues seriously. They’re too dark and depressing. (Unmerciful, fear of sorrow)
Here's an interesting fact . . . from an authority that contradicts your authority, but your authority is wrong and I want you to face the facts. (Combative and controlling spirit)
Request for Help: Join me in this cause; it will help make Heaven on earth which we must do to prove we’re good. (Seeking self-made righteousness, fear of punishment)
Anyone know of a good way to make my child stay in bed? I'm pretty sure I've tried everything out there, but so long as no one has any new ideas, I'll feel justified in letting my child just stay up. (Self-justification, seeking human validation)
Encouragement/Understanding/Help: You're so lucky to have a baby who naps! I'm jealous and dissatisfied, and your post highlights that. (Discontentment and bitterness)
You should try such-and-such. I have a plan for your life and if you would just follow it, you'd stop causing me so much pain in watching you struggle. (Need to control, a lack of mercy, fear of suffering)
Keeping Updated/Connected: Since this category is usually done through looking, I have no sample posts, just sample motives.
Apathy: It takes too much effort to care about these situations, so I’ll just scroll quickly past them.
Envy: Awww! I never get to do things like that. My life stinks!
Vengeance: Well, if that's what you think, I'll block you! See how you like them apples!
Avoidance and Fear : I don't like what's happening in my life right now, so I'll distract myself by checking out what's happening in other's lives.
Believe me when I say, it wasn't hard to come up with these twisted thoughts. I didn't have to go delving into others’ hearts to find them. They were all reflections of things I've felt or thought at one time or another. In fact, I suspect that our accusations of other's ill intentions are likely linked to our own insecurities and misgivings. So if you’re wondering what your own foibles are maybe try looking at what you accuse others of doing. Such thoughts all tend to have the same tone: a self-protecting, self-justifying, love-seeking, self-asserting sort of tone. That is the nature of sin. It's all selfishness. It's all a colorless world.
However, the person who is being filled with Christ’s goodness, and safety, and power, doesn't come to Facebook seeking justification or intimate understanding or unconditional acceptance or to change the world. No, instead their posts have an array of wonderful tones to them, filled with peace and grace and joy and understanding.
Our job on Facebook isn’t to decide the motives behind others' posts. Our responsibility is to one, see Facebook for what it is: a good thing when approached with a heart full of Christ; two, to search our hearts with God to find and surrender new insecurities that we discover; and three, to do good to those who may or may not be posting with a heart centered on the Lord.
More on analyzing motives: Are All Gifts Good, Why We Have No Reason to Fear Science
Posts
Comments