I recently removed Facebook from my smart phone because it
was consuming my time. I was either getting notifications about something or
trying to consistently post something relevant that my “friends” would see. I was always checking my phone to make sure I didn't miss any important notifications from my "friends"!
Today, the
social networking frenzy has taken the word friend and devalued it immensely.
Our “friends” are no longer the handful of folks with whom we could trust our life; they are now often, just connections in our rapidly expanding network
that will help us promote our agendas and ourselves.
Now, I know this is not always the case. As a matter of
fact, many people even use social media as a ministry platform as well as a
means of nurturing their close network of friends. But more often, I notice
that people (me included) have a multitude of “friends” who they don’t even
know. Too often today, we will spend hours online to see what our friends are
doing while our place of employment pays for our online enjoyment. Is that
appropriate? If you were an employer how would you feel about your employees
spending their work time keeping up with social media (unless, of course, that
just happens to be your job)?
Interestingly, many places of business and churches realize
the monumental shift towards social media and have replaced costly web sites
with free social media pages. But as Christians, we must continually guard
ourselves, and what we view and post online; realizing that whatever is posted
online cannot be removed. We must honor God with our time, our talents and
refrain from inappropriate online habits. Every once in a while we ought to
disconnect from our online world, if possible, and relax with a little solitude
and spiritual soaking.
Admittedly, I still check my social networking sites when
I’m working online and appreciate the technology that provides opportunities to
reconnect with old friends. I love celebrating successes with my friends and
lifting them up in prayer when adversity comes. I pray that as we embrace more
technological advances in the years to come, we will never lose the love we
should have for our Savior. The greatest connection you could ever have is the
one with the Creator of the universe, who provided a way to experience that
relationship with Him through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ (John
3:16). May He always be the greatest connection in your life!
For Him,
Marshall M. Windsor, D.Min.
