A couple of weeks ago I posted a list of things Christians should stop doing on social media. I got some great response on the post, but I realized it might have come across a bit critical. It’s easy to tell people what they should stop doing…much harder to tell them what they should start doing. So that’s my goal with this post.
I believe Christians can be a greater light to those in their social media circles if they’ll start doing these five things.
Bragging on each other on social media.
It’s easy to focus on things we’re unhappy about or trying to distance ourselves from “toxic Christians”. But what if we just let those things go and instead focus on the things we can celebrate? When a church down the road displays unusual amounts of charity, post a link. When a friend gets through a tough time, celebrate them.
Let’s build bridges to one another through our words.
Listening and affirming emotions.
When someone slams the church or posts something on social media out of deep hurt, it’s easy to try to “fix” them. It’s easy to point out logical flaws or incorrect theology/thinking. But there’s real hurt behind these types of posts. And when we go to the quick fix, we unintentionally the poster that their real pain doesn’t have value.
What if, instead, we sympathized with the emotions of people—even when we disagree? After all, fixing the head will never bring people to Christ. Christ works on the heart. Let’s love their heart and open up a door for Him to speak to them.
Offering to pray for people.
After you’ve listened and affirmed, offer to pray for the person. Even most nonbelievers appreciate when Christians pray for them—if for no other reason than just knowing someone is thinking about them and their situation.
Post, “I’m so sorry. I’m going to be praying for you.” Then be sure you actually pray for them.
Being honest while also being hopeful.
I always used to cringe when I heard people say, “I’m too blessed to be depressed.” That’s a nice thought… But what about when everything hits the fan and chemical depression actually sets in?
Instead of pretending everything is dandy or “speaking in faith”, why not be honest about your situation? In the Psalms, David sure wasn’t shy about his struggles. Be honest.
But don’t just leave it there. Post hope along with your struggles. “Man, I’m having a hard week. I’d love some prayer. I know God can do something amazing even in the bad times.”
That sort of post does much more than that posed photo of you enjoying iced tea on your porch, living the sweet (and fake) life.
Remaining silent when appropriate.
“For everything there is a season […] A time to be quiet and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3) Unfortunately, many Christians forget about the “quiet” option and only speak when it comes to social media. I generally try to live by this rule: If I can’t build people up with my comment, I probably shouldn’t write it.
I’m not perfect at this, but it’s forced me to be silent more than I might otherwise be. And I’ve probably actually kept some friends and some influence by following that rule.
So there’s the list. What would you add? What do you think Christians should start doing on social media? Add a comment below.