Salt & Light
I signed up for my Facebook account at the end of my freshman year of college. Facebook was relatively new and users could only set up an account with their university email address. At the time, not all colleges were associated with Facebook, so the users were few and the platform was simple.
Smart phones came out towards the end of my collegiate career, so the only way I could check Facebook during the day was to drop by the computer lab and log in on a desktop computer. Occasionally, if I had a long break between classes, I’d swing by and check my account but I only logged in if I had nothing else to do.
Who would have known that in a short span of time, the world would actually revolve around social media?
I’ve had this inner struggle about social media for a long time. A constant ebb and flow dialogue that goes something like this: “I just need to get off social media permanently. It’s too distracting and too divisive and wastes my time… but I’ll miss seeing pictures of my friends and their growing families and knowing what’s going on in their lives. So I should probably keep my account and just spend less time on it.”
You’ve probably had a similar inner dialogue, too, I bet. And yet, no matter how many times I have this conversation with myself, I always feel conflicted and unsure if I should stay or if I should go.
“You are the salt of the earth… the light of the world… let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16; paraphrased)
Social media is a part of our world. A large part of our world, and it’s where the people are. People you know, and people you don’t know. And as believers, I think we are focused on being a light in the world, yet forgetting that includes the world of social media.
Just as our physical presence should be noticeably different to those around us, so should our online presence. Are you bearing light with the things you post? Are your online deeds causing others to praise your father in Heaven or question His truth and character? Or, as one of my dear friends reminded me, are you sitting in silence, keeping it all to yourself, only consuming rather than contributing?
You are the salt. You are the light. And you, believer, are being called to action. May your deeds be obvious, pointing others to Christ and giving praise to your Father in Heaven.
