The great temptation in social media (e.g. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) is to exploit every experience as material to teach others, to speak of truths we don’t live, to present ourselves as someone we are not.
This shrivels our souls as we stray further from what is authentic and true. It damages our integrity, widening the gap between our outer and inner lives.
It is easy to “remain all our lives on the threshold, never entering into the banquet, but always running back into the street to tell the passers-by of the wonderful music (we) hear coming from inside the palace of the King” (Thomas Merton).
How then do we guard against this temptation?
- We want to lead (e.g. tweet) out of a deep place of being with God, saying like David:
I love the house where you live, O Lord The place where your glory dwells. Ps. 26:8
One thing I ask of the Lord…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Ps. 27:4
- We want to be present with every person, experience, and gift God gives us– before we tell others about it.
For everything God created is good…if it is received with thanksgiving. 1 Tim.4:4
Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:23
Perhaps we need to slow down a bit more, relax, and rest a bit more fully in the reality that we are in the Father’s grip (John 10:29). That is what I am working on as I engage more fully the gift of social media as a tool to advance the gospel and mentor others.
