Social, social, social
so often in church we hear how terrible social media is. we hear that social media is the root of all insecurity and it leaves us with the wrong presumption that insecurities began when social media surfaced. FALSE. insecurities have been a part of human nature since the beginning.
social media does tend to grow self-consciousness and insecurities, but it’s not the root of it. social media isn’t bad. wanting your feed to look pretty isn’t bad. wanting to post a pretty picture isn’t bad. these are all harmless things. BUT these things have the potential to be bad. these things become dangerous when they become an idol or a source of security.
I have been wrestling with the good and bad of social media. as a Christian how do I use it? is it bad for me to be on Instagram? should I not care at all what I post? These are all very reasonable questions and I am going to try and help shed some light on this situation.
social media is not bad. hear me again… social media is not bad. social media is actually a great thing when it is used in the right way. when our hearts are in the right spot social media can be a place to uplift and bring joy. here are a few ways to see if your heart is in the right spot. before you answer these following questions I want you to stop for a second. quiet your heart. be vulnerable and real with yourself. answer the following questions truthfully…
do you find yourself doing things just for the Instagram or the snapchat story?
do you constantly check the likes on your picture?
if you aren’t “getting enough likes” do you delete the post to spare yourself of the humiliation?
when scrolling through Instagram, do you compare your life to the “cooler” lives of other people?
do you find yourself less confident after looking at social media?
do you spend more time on social media than you do talking to Jesus or studying His word?
okay… deep breath. it’s okay. if you answered yes to all or the majority of these questions you probably have social media on a platform. honestly, I can say I am guilty of many of these things, but I have a new mindset now. that was pretty heavy.. here’s the good part: you don’t have to live constantly comparing yourself.
here are a few steps I would encourage you to take if you answered yes to any of the questions above:
when you are going to post a picture go through a couple of steps first..
is this picture glorifying God? (aka am I properly dressed/ if my grandma saw this would she be mad?)
am I posting this to get certain attention or to make someone else jealous?
do I like this picture?
post what makes you smile. not what you think other people will love… when you are genuine you are most beautiful
when scrolling through social media instead of having a jealous mindset have a celebration mindset.
example: you are scrolling through Instagram and see a picture of a girl who just got her hair colored and cut. it is seemingly perfect. instead of thinking, “wow. I wish I looked like that” think, “wow! she looks awesome. you go glen coco!”
if you are really, really struggling I would highly recommend deleting social media
I recently deleted my Instagram for a few weeks and I can’t begin to tell you the change in confidence I experienced. I was walking around more confident because I wasn’t comparing myself with everyone else’s amazing lives on social media. this carried over to when I got social media back, but make sure to set a date… I would recommend 3 weeks to a month of no social media. it’s going to be hard, but the change is real.
don’t allow social media to rule you, but use it to promote Jesus. we should filter our posts through the lens of “is this glorifying to Him?”, this doesn’t mean your posts have to be scripture and such, but when we do this it radiates Jesus seamlessly.
if you find yourself struggling with these things call up a friend and tell them. tell them what you’re thinking and ask them to keep you accountable on your social media. it’s well worth it… and if you don’t have anyone to keep you accountable please call/email me. I’m a real person even if you only see me over your phone while on my blog. I want to be by your side cheering you on and praying for you. don’t let social media put you in bondage, instead use it to set others free.