Social media post reflections

What kind of message does your social media activity send to those who don't know you? This is something I've been pondering a lot lately, especially over the last month or so. I'm human like everyone else, so I have often felt the pull to post things online that I have a strong opinion about. I've come close to posting things in the heat of an emotional moment that I would never say to someone in person. I've liked posts that in hindsight were surely offensive to someone with a different view, and I just have to wonder, how does that make me look to someone who's never met me?

If someone who never met you before looked you up on Facebook and saw your posts, what conclusion would they come to about the kind of person you are, without even meeting you? Would they feel an openness to be able to communicate freely with you, or not? I have to be honest, when I started thinking this way and looking at what people have been posting lately, there's a lot of people that I would never have guessed are the type of people I actually know them to be outside of social media. I realized how other people's posts personally affected me, in that because of how I choose to view something differently than they do, I then fall into whatever group they are targeting with their post and am therefore a recipient of their attack, although it's not intentional, it is a real consequence.

Once I realized this, I started to view my own social media activity through that lens. What message does my social media activity send to those who view it? As someone who believes in Jesus Christ, do my words and actions align with what I claim to believe, or do I attempt to separate the real world and online world and pretend that there is no connection. I assure you, it is not possible to separate the two. Online or offline, how do we treat others, directly or indirectly? Do we treat them the same way that we want to be treated? Or do we hold a different standard for those who think differently than we do?

James 3:9-12 NIV states, "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."

When I look at how Jesus treated people in the gospels, I see that he saw people where they were at. He saw them as human beings, not just as a part of a group or as a consequence of the decisions they've made up to that point. When I look at how Jesus treated people, it causes me to self reflect and wonder how I am doing. How do I want to be treated by others, and do I extend that same question and compassion to others who think differently than me? Do my words edify and breathe life into those around me, or do I indirectly chastise them for their beliefs by berating the views they hold through my social media posts and online activity? If I claim to believe in Jesus Christ, would I even be given a chance to share the gospel or my own story of how God has redeemed me if someone first took a look at my social media accounts before meeting me? Put yourself in someone else's shoes and look at your posts and wonder, what conclusion would they come to if they didn't already know you?

Each of us has a story that is unique, and we think the way we do as a result of our life circumstances up to that point. We have an opportunity to learn and grow from one another if we can get past our differences and actually listen to one another. To love your neighbor as yourself is a world changing principle, but it takes self-reflection and discipline to execute.

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other," -Galatians 5:13-15 NIV.

Social media is a tool, it can be used for good, and it can be used for bad. Before we post anything online, I think it's important to analyze our heart's motives and question whether it reflects the type of people that we actually want to be. Lastly, I think before we post anything it is wise to ask that if someone else posted something similar but that clashed with our values, how would it makes us feel? To love one's neighbor as yourself is to think this way, and to respond differently because of it. This may seem like a small thing, but if everyone thought and acted this way, it could make a world of difference.