Social Media

Can social media be a vessel for serving God? Using social media in the service of God is probably not the most common use for it, however it is probably the most worthwhile use for it. Similar to the internet as a whole, it depends on how you use it. You can find some extremely vile and evil things on social media and on the internet. You can also find that it has furthered God's work on the earth in ways that would have been impossible otherwise.

A few days ago, I was at work and had the opportunity to meet a nice couple that was looking for a house. I asked them how they met and their story was endearing. They both had pretty miserable first marriages. They had met each other through mutual friends that had gotten married many years ago. After they had both been through their difficult marriages, they were able to connect on Facebook. Not long after that, they started dating and eventually got married. 

The church uses its social media channels to bring people closer to Christ. They do this through inspirational stories about their members, music, charitable endeavors, and other ways. One of the more memorable ways they use their social media is promoting their "Light the World" giving campaign at Christmas time.

I would love to use my social media channels to be an influence for good in similar ways. Mostly, it is used by people in more vain ways. Many use it to show highlights of their last trip, to show their "gains" at the gym, or to show how much they love the latest shoes they purchased. It is unlikely these things are furthering God's work in any way. A considerable amount of missionary work is being done via social media. It wouldn't hurt to try sharing good in similar ways with my sphere of influence. "If ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work."