Social media: BLESSING or IDOL?

Hello again!

As some of you may know, I took a break from social media this past week. And as most of you may know, I am an addict to social media; I love it. Research shows that social networking is just as addicting as alcohol and drugs. SAY WHAT?! You heard me. It triggers and releases chemicals in our brain that tell us we need more. Crazy, right? Now let's talk about why I fasted from this bizz for a week.

Facebook (in particular) is such a blessing to me in so many ways. I get to have open communication with family and friends all over the world. I get to stay in touch with my family and friends in New Zealand, I get to stay updated on the little (but important) things in my friends life, I'm able to see my friends from afar love on their new born baby or newlywed husband or wife, and in return, I get to share MY life with the people I love. Social networking also gives us the opportunity to share God's love to anyone on the planet who wants to see it. To think that we can spiritually and deeply reach out to someone through a Facebook status or a tweet BLOWS my mind. It can be one of the most powerful tools to display your love and worship to the One who created us to hundreds, thousands, and potentially millions of people. Ever think about it that way? Dang, this social media thing really rocks!

HOWEVER...

Let me be real here. Would it have been as hard to give up reading my bible for a week as it was to give up social media? O-U-C-H. Talk about a harsh reality! It stinks to admit it, but I'd be doing myself and whoever reads this a disservice if I wasn't honest about it.

Just like any blessing, it can very quickly and easily become an idol. God gives us so many desires and blessings that we sometimes don't know how to deal with them! I know that my heart to share life experiences, silly pictures, and things that God is doing in my life is a GOD-GIVEN desire. Another God-given desire of mine, one that influences my love for social media, is that I am a total people pleaser. 

There. I said it. 

We are made in God's image; therefore, family, friends, and belonging are all natural things we want. Do some want it more than others? Definitely. But it is the way God designed us. Now this is where it gets tricky. Like anything else, sin screws this up for us. 

Once we value the praise of man more than we value the praise of God, we step into dangerous waters.

"Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety." -
Proverbs 29:25

Do you really think God cares about how many "likes" you get on a status or photo? Or how many people retweet and/or favorite one of your tweets? NO. He doesn't. Something I learned last week was that I began to go to HIM with the exciting things happening in my life before I did anyone else. I'm not saying to keep things from your FB friends or your Twitter or Instagram followers, but I would hate to think that God found something out on Facebook before I told Him. If a woman is pregnant, do you think she's going to tell Facebook before she tells her husband? No -- what a terrible way to break such incredible news! Same thing with God but to an even higher degree. Why wouldn't we want Him to be the first to know about something and share excitement with? 

Last week, without having social media, I read a book called Captivating (which I will blog about later for sure) and got into the Word every day. Let me say this...
it.was.awesome.
Did it require a little bit of self-discipline? Heck yeah. Was it worth it? HECK yeah. Now...was it easy being away from those social networks? No. I struggled. Like, a lot. But I did it. And I got a lot accomplished in the time I would have been on FB, Twitter, or Instagram. 

Whether it's for a year, a month, a week, or even just a couple of days, I want to encourage you to drop social media. Figure out why it is you use it. While I use it as a blessing, I realized that I had begun to idolize it. Subconsciously, of course, I had made it more important to check those networks than it was to check in with the Lord in the Word. 

And let me tell you, the Word brings more LIFE, JOY, and TRUTH than Facebook ever will. All day. Every day. For the rest of our days. He guarantees it.

Blessings,

Katie