Using Social Media for Good

A note from Mary Margaret West: We would all be wise to continually evaluate how social media is impacting our lives and the lives of girls. Rather than bringing shame about social media, what if we used it as a catalyst for good? Brooke shares some insight in today’s post that you”ll find valuable.

“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” Titus 2:3-5 ESV

This is the poster verse for women’s discipleship in the Church, and admittedly one of my favorite passages in all of scripture. At nearly every point in life, we are all the younger and older woman to someone.

Older women are to train the younger women what it practically looks like to live out a gospel-centered life in every area.

Younger women are to watch, learn from, and model the older women and how they are living. In the day of technology and social media, I can’t help but wonder what we are teaching the younger generation by the way we interact online? Is this an area that we are considering as a part of our discipleship?

Are we sending them the message that ministry is actually about building a platform and curating a perfect feed? Or are we showing them that ministry is lived out practically in the day-to-day, face-to-face relationships? Are we teaching them to display a picture-perfect image of ourselves to the world in order to gain approval? Or are we showing them that the world doesn’t need more “Instagram models” but instead more women whose identities are rooted in who Christ is and not what the world thinks? Are we teaching them that “being real” is about confessing all of our faults and our mess to an online world instead of confessing our sinful hearts before the Savior and trusted accountability?

Social media adds a whole different twist to the ball game of girl’s ministry. These girls are the first generation to grow up knowing nothing different than Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook being apart of everyday life. And unless I’m wrong, I don’t think social media is going anywhere, anytime soon.

However, although it is often tempting, I don’t think ignoring social media is the answer. I think we’ve got to figure out how to meet these girls in the realm of social media and teach them how to use it from a gospel-centered perspective, just like anything else in their lives.

Here are a few heart checks for our own social media usage that we can then pass along and model for the next generation:

How much time are we spending each day on our phones?
Is my phone the first place I start and the last place I end my days?
Am I the same person online that I am in person? Do my words match my life?
Have I confessed and repented of my sin to the Lord and accountability before sharing it online?
What is my motive when I am posting? Do I want to make much of myself or make much of Christ?
Are likes, follows, and affirmation important to me when I post?
Do I know Christ more by following this person? Or is following this person a hindrance to my heart?

Older women, I pray that we will live out the little things well. That our phones would not be a hindrance to our discipleship, but a tool. That the way we use our social media will point the next generation to Jesus, not ourselves. That we would teach these younger sisters that Jesus is the treasure (not approval) and that we are his treasured ones. That like Paul, we can say, “follow me as I follow Christ”…even when it comes to social media.

Brooke Wilson currently resides in Oklahoma with her husband, Braden. Together they are on the journey to Braden becoming a physician. Brooke currently works at a small private school and coaches high school soccer. They are expecting their first little one come March 2019, and she will soon be operating as a full time stay-at-home mommy and helper to her husband. Some of Brooke’s passions include: home, discipleship, women’s ministry, and finding the Lord’s glory woven into every single detail of our lives. If she isn’t stuck in a good book, watching a Dallas Cowboys football game, or enjoying time outside, you can probably find her writing over on her blog: brookelwilson.com.