By Chuck Davis
I have a Facebook account. I check Facebook once per day. I like it as a means of catching up on news – especially milestones – of friends. I have especially liked it as a tool to reconnect with people from my past or who live on another side of the world.
I rarely like or emoji respond to the posts of my “friends” on Facebook because in the past some of my “friends” got upset at me for not liking a few of their posts. I do not want to offend people so I have just decided to not respond to 99.99% of the posts that come across my news feed.
With all the benefits of this social communication tool there is one aspect that has become rather boorish to me. It is social critique or opinion driving.
I guess my challenge with it is that it feels more like social whining than social activism. And I wonder what social whining really accomplishes! It only seems to add fuel to the fire of discontentment or social aggression. Seems a bit beneath the feet of people who are really concerned about our community and the lives of the generations to follow.
So, I have decided to replace Facebook with Facetime. Now some of you are thinking of “Skype” for apple computers. I am going one step beyond. I am thinking about bringing my social discontent to God.
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (II Chronicles 7:14)
Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:3)
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, LORD, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:8)
What would happen if I sought the face of God more and the “likes” and emojis of Facebook less?
I wanted to be sure that I am not just being a whiner myself – you know the old guy, the dinosaur, who doesn’t get the value of technology and social media – so I just opened my Facebook (that will mean 2 times today). And there it was – 17 of the 20 most recent items in my news feed are from people offering social critique. Most of them Christ-followers. And several of them are using an aggressive and arrogant tone that seems far from what Jesus would identify with. It just doesn’t feel like the social critique is helping us to fulfill our calling as Christ-followers to be salt and light.
You may not be a Christ-follower, but I do not think that aggression or arrogance fulfill your great purpose in life either.
What if the time taken to launch names at others for their opinions and ideas via Facebook was spent in Facetime with God about how broken our hearts are over the direction of our society? I wonder if we could turn the language of curse in our land today to a language of blessing?
Maybe Aaron’s ancient blessing contextualized for our contemporary world would take over?
Thus you shall bless the people of your land: you shall say to them,
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:23-26)
Now that is some Facetime that we could all use – the Lord shining his face upon us.
Rev. Dr. Chuck Davis is serving as Transitional co-Lead Pastor at Stanwich Church. He serves leaders globally as the President of Global Leadership Inc.
