A while back on Facebook I shared a post that said, "What do you think my life is like? Only use gifs." Nineteen people ended up sharing a gif on that post.
One was missionary/Jesus related.
Eight were mom/house-wife related -- although four of those came from Nicholas, so I'm not sure if they really count ;-)
And ten were "Africa" related
Obviously, the responses varied depending on who it was that commented. My husband knows my life better than anyone. And, fellow missionary-mommies are going to know me better than some people in the States do. This was a fun little "game", but it was also an eye-opener to how others perceived my life.
I'm sure a lot of you will remember the song, "Legacy" by Nichole Nordeman:
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more
besides the temporary trappings of this world.
I want to leave a legacy, How will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enough
to make a mark on things? I want to leave an offering A child of mercy and grace Who blessed your name unapologetically And leave that kind of legacy.
What we share on social media says a lot about our lives. If you scroll through my page you'll see a whole lot of posts about Evangeline. Scattered among those post you'll find some spiritual ones, and scattered among those you'll find some that highlight other aspects of my life. And I think those posts paint an accurate picture of me.
Now, a good portion of my social media is filled with people who have "Christian / Follower of Christ / I love God / Jesus is my hero" or something similar listed on their profile. They have Bible verses listed as their favorite quotes. They "check-in" at their churches every Sunday and Wednesday without fail. But, I'll be really honest here... if I shared a gif about what I perceived some of their lives to be like, it might not even be a gif that they'd enjoy seeing.
I live across the world, so social media is how I "see" people from the States on a daily basis, and a lot of times what I see breaks my heart. I see people sharing Bible verses one day and the next day calling people "idiots" when they don't agree with their political views. I see people whom I sat in church with a few years ago causing dissension among other believers. I see foul language, hateful attitudes, and crude jokes -- from people claiming Christianity!
THIS is the legacy that some people are leaving. It's a legacy that says, "Yeah, I know Jesus, but the things of this world are way more important to me."
Now, don't swing the pendulum too far here. I'm not saying you should ONLY post spiritual things. I'm not saying that if you post more about your family than you do about God that you actually love them more than you do Him. What I am saying is that people are paying attention to you.
You see, no matter the strength of your relationship with someone, every person you're acquainted with has their own perception of who you are and what your life is like. And, if you're a Christian, I think it should be your ultimate desire that people associate you with Christ -- and, I don't mean in name only. It seems pointless to have "Christian" under your Religious Views section if you're constantly posting and commenting things that are not God-honoring.
"Well, I serve a forgiving God." ... Yeah. I agree. But, "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?... Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." (Romans 6)
"Well, even Jesus expressed a righteous anger." Sure, Jesus did. But, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1)
We are better than this! We are better than these "biblical" excuses that we make to justify our anger and name-calling and poor attitudes that we are so quick to share on our social media sites (or even in real life). We're better than this because we serve a God who is better than that. How is your calling people names showing the love of Christ? How does your [public] murmuring to others against someone who has wronged your (or simply disagreed with you) bringing anyone closer to God? How does that crude, anti-[political party] meme that you shared reflect Christ who is in you?
Are we not ambassadors for Christ?
I hope that people who only "see" me through my Facebook can say, "Yeah, she loved her family... and she loved serving God." I hope that when I die their mental epitaph for me doesn't just say, "That girl who moved to Africa" or, "That missionary that visited our church." I want to impact people in a way that's going to matter in eternity. I want people to know me as someone who points to Christ -- whether they know me personally, from the internet, or simply by word of mouth. That's the kind of legacy I want to leave.
What does your social media account say about you? More importantly, what does it say about Christ? What kind of legacy are you leaving?