Social Media & Faith

I have been trying to post/create more things through instagram recently. I am torn, yall. 

Do I love when my friends or people that inspire me post on social media? YES! I am giddy when someone I love post things about their lives, big or small moments. Do I love when new people find my blog? YES! I also know in order to grow my blog reader audience, I have to keep creating. But, why do I feel so weird when sharing things on social media? 

I am going to try and explain my brain here, so hang with me.

When I am sharing my life with yall, on this blog or on insta stories, I feel very contradicting emotions. One emotion is confidence. I want to shine my light that God has given me. I want His kingdom to grow and I want others to read about Him on my blog. 

Another emotion is arrogance. I want my light to shine, but I don’t want what I post to come across as braggy or “I have everything put together and figured out.” Then, I start to think me posting would do the opposite of growing God’s kingdom. People would view me as fake. I start to think I am deminoshing the power of my testimony. 

Confidence and Arrogance are very closely related, aren’t they? But also, very different. 

I’m not sure why I felt moved to write about this. But I am confident that God has put this on my heart to share. I was 30 minutes into my walk, and I couldn’t take the thoughts anymore. I had to get typing. So I jumped off the treadmill and got my computer out.

So what do I do? Do I keep sharing? Do I keep blogging? Or do I take a step back? What does God say? What does the bible teach us about social media?

Jesus spoke these words. He teaches us to stay humble. I think I tend to be overly humble. I am fully aware of my flaws and the flaws of my husband and kids. I know we aren’t perfect. If you ever start getting the sense of me or my family being perfect- know we are not. We are desperately in need of a savior in our house.

There is so much darkness in social media. Romans 12:2 tells us to not conform to that world. I am confident that if I am in God’s word daily, praying over my social media and blog, God will empower me to not conform to the negative side of social media, but rather be a light in a dark world.

So, if you ever have conflicting thoughts about social media like I do, I want to leave you with some encouraging reminders of why your voice, your life, and your light needs to be seen. I googled, “what does the bible say about social media?” I know that is a ridiculous question, but it lead me to an AI generated answer that left me inspired to keep shining my light on social media. Here is what it said… 

While the Bible doesn’t explicitly address social media, it provides principles for how Christians should interact online, emphasizing positive communication, encouragement, and avoiding negativity. 

Focus on Building Up Others:
The Bible encourages words that build up and encourage, rather than tearing down or causing harm. (Ephesians 4:29) 

Use Social Media as an Opportunity to Demonstrate the Fruit of the Spirit:
Christians are called to live out the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) in all areas of life, including online interactions. (Galatians 5:22)

Be Mindful of Your Influence:
Christians should be aware that their online presence can influence others, and they should strive to use their platforms to promote good and truth. (Titus 2:7)

Encourage and Pray for Others:
Social media can be used to encourage and pray for others, building up the body of Christ. (1  Thessalonians 5:11)

Remember Who is Watching:
Christians should always be mindful of their words and actions online, as others are watching and they should be a light in the world. (1 Timothy 4:12)

Respond with a Gentle Spirit:
When engaging in online conversations, Christians should respond with gentleness and grace, even when faced with disagreement. (Proverbs 15:1)

Pray Before You Post:
Before sharing anything online, Christians should pray for wisdom and discernment, asking God to guide their words and actions. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Don’t Be Conformed to the World:
Christians are called to be transformed by the renewal of their mind, and not to be conformed to the world. (Romans 12:2)

Be a Light in the Darkness:
Christians are called to be a light in the darkness, shining Christ’s light into the lives of others through their social media interactions. (Matthew 5:16)

Pretty good response from google’s AI, don’t you think? Whenever I get insecure, start to feel too proud, or am unsure about whether I should share something on social media, I am going to refer to this post. Take it to God and worry way less about it.

And if you are wondering, you can shine your light in all sorts of ways, not just through social media. You know that, tho. We just need to be ready and willing to shine our light and share our faith, God will take it from there. We will never know how God is using our light to help others. 

Love y’all!