Most people who know me or have tried to find me online know that I do not have Facebook. What they may not know is that I used to. If you're wondering why I no longer have a profile, I'll let you in on a personal story...
Once upon a time, 15-year-old Jessica had Facebook. She had a few Facebook friends, one of which was a boy whom she thought she might have a crush on. This made Jessica excited and so she messaged this boy back and forth on Facebook as often as she could until one day...she had to stop.
Now Jessica's dad is a pretty amazing guy and has quite a lot of wisdom that he does not hesitate to share with her, especially when it comes to boys. He found Jessica messaging this boy one day and instructed her to "shut it down" which means to stop all online contact. Jessica then sat at the computer while her dad helped her to delete her email account which automatically also deleted her Facebook. Though she has since created a new email address, Facebook continues to lack her profile.
It was not that the messages sent between myself and that boy through Facebook were inappropriate in content. They were simply fuel for a fire that did not need to be started at that point in our lives. I am now thankful for my dad's intervention and I never did date that boy though I thought it was destined to be at the time.
Since then, I have come across a number of reasons why I will never again open a Facebook account:
1. It tempts me to seek attention and glorify myself.
- An article I read today, read it here if you're interested, regarding social media in general does a great job of summarizing this point. I quote, "It is the subtle temptation to use social media to brag. Scripture speaks against seeking out one's own glory (Proverbs 25:27). Intention is a matter of the heart, but the heart is deceitful. It could be virtue that motivates a person to comment...or to post a selfie. But then again, it could be vice. I hope Christians are introspective about their own motivations and mindful of the subtle dangers of self-exaltation given the convenience and the audience provided by certain social media sites."
2. It tempts me to make relating with others impersonal.
- To use my story as an example, I almost never spoke to that boy other than online. I have also noticed that guys will often use social media to communicate with a girl they are interested in rather than get to know her face-to-face in real-life settings. The article I mentioned above says that, "A choice to forgo social media may simply be a choice to invest the time otherwise spent online in more direct, personal, and intimate social engagement." I want to make it a habit to have intentional face-to-face time with my friends and family rather than using texting as the primary mode of communication or wasting time checking pinterest or playing games on my phone. The struggle is real.
3. It creates conflict.
- A couple of my friends in high school got into a "silent" fight because one of them forgot to message the other back and they refused to talk to each other face-to-face about it. One other kind of conflict that comes to mind is a priority conflict. I used to check Facebook constantly and I spent more time on it than I spent reading my Bible and praying during those months. Never again.
4. It tempts me to sin.
- Whether it be lust, coveting, or profanities that dishonour God, Facebook has a way of posting unwanted materials all over its pages. I experienced this when my Facebook friends would post things (not all of them were Christians) and they would appear on my wall. Sometimes the content was offensive and I had to work to remove it from my wall on a consistent basis lest someone see it there and judge me accordingly. Also, as much as removing it would solve part of the issue, the main thing was that I had been exposed to something that polluted my mind rather than renewed it (Romans 12:2). If I have a choice, I will not give the world more opportunities to discourage me and cause me to stumble.
Now that I have listed some of my reasons for staying off of Facebook, I know that there are many good reasons to have it and I know lots of people who are using it well and in a God-honouring way. One example is a woman I know with a photography business who uses Facebook to help advertise and gain clients and she does a wonderful job! For me, however, knowing my weaknesses and having poor experiences with it in the past, I will choose to abstain from Facebook.
Other forms of social media such as Snapchat and Instagram have also influenced this post as many people have told me that "I should get" these things. My answer? I look at my reasons listed above for not getting Facebook and I ask myself these questions:
- Would having more social media help me to bring more glory to God?
- Would it encourage me to use my time wisely?
- Would it help me to draw more attention to God than myself?
If I answer these honestly, no, I cannot add more social media to my life. This blog is more than enough for me and I desire to use it to honour God as best as I can.
Once upon a time, 15-year-old Jessica had Facebook. She had a few Facebook friends, one of which was a boy whom she thought she might have a crush on. This made Jessica excited and so she messaged this boy back and forth on Facebook as often as she could until one day...she had to stop.
Now Jessica's dad is a pretty amazing guy and has quite a lot of wisdom that he does not hesitate to share with her, especially when it comes to boys. He found Jessica messaging this boy one day and instructed her to "shut it down" which means to stop all online contact. Jessica then sat at the computer while her dad helped her to delete her email account which automatically also deleted her Facebook. Though she has since created a new email address, Facebook continues to lack her profile.
It was not that the messages sent between myself and that boy through Facebook were inappropriate in content. They were simply fuel for a fire that did not need to be started at that point in our lives. I am now thankful for my dad's intervention and I never did date that boy though I thought it was destined to be at the time.
Since then, I have come across a number of reasons why I will never again open a Facebook account:
1. It tempts me to seek attention and glorify myself.
- An article I read today, read it here if you're interested, regarding social media in general does a great job of summarizing this point. I quote, "It is the subtle temptation to use social media to brag. Scripture speaks against seeking out one's own glory (Proverbs 25:27). Intention is a matter of the heart, but the heart is deceitful. It could be virtue that motivates a person to comment...or to post a selfie. But then again, it could be vice. I hope Christians are introspective about their own motivations and mindful of the subtle dangers of self-exaltation given the convenience and the audience provided by certain social media sites."
2. It tempts me to make relating with others impersonal.
- To use my story as an example, I almost never spoke to that boy other than online. I have also noticed that guys will often use social media to communicate with a girl they are interested in rather than get to know her face-to-face in real-life settings. The article I mentioned above says that, "A choice to forgo social media may simply be a choice to invest the time otherwise spent online in more direct, personal, and intimate social engagement." I want to make it a habit to have intentional face-to-face time with my friends and family rather than using texting as the primary mode of communication or wasting time checking pinterest or playing games on my phone. The struggle is real.
3. It creates conflict.
- A couple of my friends in high school got into a "silent" fight because one of them forgot to message the other back and they refused to talk to each other face-to-face about it. One other kind of conflict that comes to mind is a priority conflict. I used to check Facebook constantly and I spent more time on it than I spent reading my Bible and praying during those months. Never again.
4. It tempts me to sin.
- Whether it be lust, coveting, or profanities that dishonour God, Facebook has a way of posting unwanted materials all over its pages. I experienced this when my Facebook friends would post things (not all of them were Christians) and they would appear on my wall. Sometimes the content was offensive and I had to work to remove it from my wall on a consistent basis lest someone see it there and judge me accordingly. Also, as much as removing it would solve part of the issue, the main thing was that I had been exposed to something that polluted my mind rather than renewed it (Romans 12:2). If I have a choice, I will not give the world more opportunities to discourage me and cause me to stumble.
Now that I have listed some of my reasons for staying off of Facebook, I know that there are many good reasons to have it and I know lots of people who are using it well and in a God-honouring way. One example is a woman I know with a photography business who uses Facebook to help advertise and gain clients and she does a wonderful job! For me, however, knowing my weaknesses and having poor experiences with it in the past, I will choose to abstain from Facebook.
Other forms of social media such as Snapchat and Instagram have also influenced this post as many people have told me that "I should get" these things. My answer? I look at my reasons listed above for not getting Facebook and I ask myself these questions:
- Would having more social media help me to bring more glory to God?
- Would it encourage me to use my time wisely?
- Would it help me to draw more attention to God than myself?
If I answer these honestly, no, I cannot add more social media to my life. This blog is more than enough for me and I desire to use it to honour God as best as I can.
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