First off, don't get me wrong - there are LOTS of things I really enjoy about Facebook. It's wonderful to share happy moments with your friends, celebrate success, get encouragement during those down times, share some thoughts of wisdom, or keep in touch with friends and family. Those are all definitely not forms of bragging when done with the right intention.
However, I do find there is this little slice of me that's using Facebook for another means...an acceptable way to make myself feel better by...bragging.
Yup, I said it, bragging.
For instance, maybe I...
Post a picture of Mark and I out on a date night...translation...check us out - we are so connected relationally - aren't we rocking this whole marriage thing! (Don't look behind the curtain here, date may or may not have gone well, and we might have been too tired to even have a coherent discussion and often end up doing romantic things like toilet shopping at Lowes.)
Or list out my days accomplishments...translation...I am wife and mother of the year over here - check out what I can get done in just ONE freakin day! (Of course, I don't mention that the next four days were a wreck with dishes piled high and my husband searching for a clean pair of underwear).
Or post yet another pic of my latest craft...translation...Check out my creativity! I am a pinterest queen! (Or really, look what I did while my kids scrounged for food in the pantry and stayed in their pajamas all day)
Or take a quick pic of my quiet time books/bible...translation...God and I are "tight" - I want you to think every morning starts like this and I am uber disciplined and in tune with the Holy Spirit. (Or maybe I was more worried about getting an in-focus, artsy pic than listening to what God was telling me that day).
Yeah, this has been me on more than one occasion. Facebook is dangerous like that. So I think I have come up with some new rules for myself regarding Facebook...starting today...
I will not post anything unless it:
1. Is sharing something worthy of celebrating with others
2. Is uplifting or encouraging to another
3. Could help others walking through the same trial by reading about a challenge I'm having that day. (Sometimes those are my favorite posts, when I see I am not ALONE in the struggle of something!)
4. Just plain informative!
I will see if I can keep my own rules - it WILL be hard, but ultimately good for me.
2 comments:
Gee...I thought there would be a ton of comments on this one. Not. ha ha ha! Yes, this is a very hard line to walk...and a very hard line when dealing with the emotions that come up from reading such things.
Haha, yes for me it is just a gut check on my real motivations. Like I said, sometimes they are right, but definitely there are times I am trying to find my value in how others think of me.
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