All the time I go to lectureships, and I read articles on how we spend too much time on the internet, and how bad it is to stare at a screen all day, and that you can't sustain a good relationship based purely on talking through social media. In fact, I have even heard several times that social media is harming our relationships with others. Now, this can all be true in certain situations, but a lot of it isn't true at all. A lot of good can come from social media.
Yes, it can be easy to spend too much time on Facebook, or Pinterest, or Twitter, or Tumblr, etc. It's even easier to do this if you have a smart phone and can access the internet pretty much anywhere at any time, but it's not all bad. Social media was created to help others connect and communicate with each other. Being homeschooled and having moved a lot, I have a lot of long distance friends. By that I mean all of my friends live out of town, at least an hour away. All of them. Social media has given me the opportunity to keep those relationships strong. Yes, it is easier to be more critical when you're hiding behind a screen, but honestly, not everyone is like that. Social media can help us build up on and create strong relationships with others. So, what do we do with those relationships?
Not only does social media help us connect with others, but it also helps us teach others the gospel. All the time I see people posting articles, and Bible verses, and sharing sermons that were recorded, etc. It is so easy to message someone on Facebook and say, "Hey, you should read this article! It may help you with what you're going through." and then that person takes five minutes and reads it, and they learn something, and the person who sent it just helped share the gospel. Those relationships that we have and can keep through social media can be used for teaching, for helping, and for encouraging. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is breathed by God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righousness." God never said how we should share His Word, but that we should, and how can we connect with people on a spiritual level if we can't connect with them on a physical level?
Today I would like to encourage all of you to use social media as a tool to use to help spread God's word. No, that doesn't have to be the only thing you use it for, but it should be a priority, as in everything else. :)
