With over 500 million users, Facebook is now used by 1 in every 13 people on earth, with over 250 million of them (over 50%) who log in every single day. Over 700 billion minutes are spent on Facebook every month. With statistics like that, you probably have a facebook page of your own.
How much time do you spend on Facebook every hour – day – week – month?
What exactly are you doing on your Facebook page each time you log in? Have you ever thought about it? Maybe you’re updating your status, posting a comment, uploading pictures from your vacation or chatting with friends. The bottom line is that most people have a facebook page because it’s fun. It’s social. It’s addicting.
Obviously we aren’t against Facebook because we have a page for our Girl Defined website and Bethany has a personal page. However, we are very careful and thoughtful with how we use it. As young christian women we are well aware of the temptations and pitfalls that facebook can be in our lives. Sure, it’s just a social networking site…but Satan is smart – and he will use even a social networking site as a major stumbling block in your life. He’ll do anything to draw your attention away from Christ.
Here are some common pitfalls of facebook. We encourage you to read them carefully and truly evaluate if any of these are true in your own life:
Time Waster.
Have you ever logged into your facebook page with the intention of checking something really fast? Before you know it 2-3 hours have passed by. Sound familiar? Wasting time on facebook is probably the #1 danger. We need to remember that every minute of our lives belongs to God. Should we squander those minutes and hours away by checking out meaningless facts on our friends facebook pages?
What about our time in God’s Word – does it seem less appealing to us than facebook? How many minutes/hours do you spend on facebook every day? How many minutes/hours do you spend in God’s Word and in prayer every day? “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” James 4:14. We don’t know what tomorrow holds for us. What will you have to show God at the end of your life? Every minute is a gift from God.
Here’s a practical rule of thumb to live by. No Bible time – no facebook time. Choose to put God’s Word before facebook in your life. If you can’t imagine living without facebook, then it definitely has an unhealthy hold in your life. Take a media fast from your facebook page (and app) for a month and see what happens. You’ll have more spare time than you know what to do with!
Guys, Guys, Guys.
Have you ever found yourself looking at a certain guys facebook page over and over again? Maybe just seeing what he’s up to, browsing his pictures, writing on his wall to initiate conversation, getting on chat with him, etc.? You know what I’m talking about… It’s so easy to do.
The truth is, our minds shouldn’t be set on getting a guy to notice us or on seeing what he is up to five times a day.
The Bible says that, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Scouting out some guys latest posts and pictures probably doesn’t get your mind on God, but gets your mind on your emotions and feelings. Have you ever noticed that? Our minds should be set on bringing glory to God through every activity we participate in. Don’t let your mind wander into a fantasy about a guy who is most likely some other girls’ future husband. Would you want your future husband fantasizing about some other girl on her facebook page? Probably not. Let’s honor God and our future husbands by avoiding dangers when it comes to guys on facebook.
Self Promotion.
Why do most people post pictures and albums of themselves on facebook? I think it’s a sneaky way of receiving affirmation and praise from our friends, which ultimately makes us feel good about ourselves. I’m embarrassed to admit that I have been a participant of this self promoting attitude on facebook. We all want to be liked and appreciated by others, so we constantly post our personal photo shoots and accomplishments for all our friends to see.
If you think about it, self promotion is a pretty common thing on facebook. We look to our friends for affirmation and acceptance instead of to God. The truth is, the only good thing in us is Jesus, so why are we trying to get people to tell us how great and amazing we are?
As Christians, our lives are supposed to point people to Christ and His glory – not our own glory. We need to get our eyes (and our friend’s eyes) off of ourselves and onto Jesus. He is the only one who truly deserves admiration and glory. Are you a girl who is caught up in self promotion on facebook? It might be time for you to go through your albums and give them a small update. I’m not saying that posting pictures all together is wrong, it’s not. Just be careful at how much you promote yourself.
Are you guilty?
Those are a few pitfalls that I have observed on Facebook. They can easily be a stumbling block to us and a temptation to sin. Have you been guilty of anything mentioned above? We need to remember that our life is not about us. Our happiness, affirmation, and joy needs to be found in our relationship with Christ.
Let’s work hard at changing our mindset from self promotion to Christ promotion. Before you know it, Facebook won’t seem that addicting or important anymore.
Photo Credit: Sxc.org – Sixninepixels
