“Use your platform wisely” were the words God gave me this morning when I woke up and immediately started processing Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Knowing that this man loved and followed Jesus with all his heart, I believe Dr. King would say the same thing if he were alive today.
Imagine what he would have said about the fact that practically every person who has access to this thing called the internet had their own platform. How would he respond if he was told that they had the opportunity to say just about anything they wanted on it, and whenever they wanted. Would he like what he saw?
The internet, followed by social media, revolutionized our world. Truly, its freeing and therapeutic to say and share whatever you want without much consequence, right? That’s why just about every human on the planet that has access to the internet and a computer or phone, are on social media. They want to be seen, known, and heard. They want to know that they aren’t alone in whatever they are going through.
When I became aware of MySpace and Facebook shortly after I graduated from high school in 2004, I thought it was so fun. Being the producer that I am, I loved having MySpace where I could customize the color and design and share photos! Facebook simplified it, but still kept the freedom to post photos and add text. I loved being able to keep in touch with people I didn’t get to see often or that didn’t live nearby.
Fast forward to around 2009 when Obama took office. I started to see people posting about him, both good and bad. For the next year or so, Ralph was one of them. He would post things that he agreed with in relation to Obama’s presidency. I started to hear him make comments about people who didn’t have the same stance as him.
Eventually Ralph got so mad about all of it that he got off of Facebook and stayed off for the next six or so years. He not only saw it as a time suck, but he didn’t want it to further divide himself from the people that he loved who weren’t in agreement with him. It was a very wise move, for which I am extremely proud of him for making.
I have loved what our old pastor in Buffalo, Jerry Gillis of The Chapel used to say about people on the internet. He referred to them as “Keyboard Cowboys.” Any person with a social media account would be lying if they claimed that they have never said anything on it that they would have never said to someone’s face.
For many years, I didn’t have the same issue as Ralph did when I went on there. Sure, I saw things other people said that I didn’t agree with, but it didn’t bother me nearly as much. I remained on because I loved people and enjoyed staying connected.
As the years went by though, I found myself getting annoyed by various people on there. These were people I had spent time around and whose company I enjoyed. Anyone else found themselves saying, “I like this person better in person than online,” too?
I didn’t like how I was feeling. It was all very conflicting for me. At the same time, I was super sensitive about what I was posting and how it might be perceived. Surely there were people thinking the same things about me. Was I creating tension, too?
In 2020, with the explosion of Covid, the massive divide it created online and in close relationships, something shifted in me. There was so much yelling, arguing, misinformation and deception that I didn’t know what people, groups, or companies I could trust. Then that Fall, during the presidential running between Biden and Trump, it got worse. Led by the direction of the Holy Spirit, I de-activated both my Facebook and Instagram accounts.
During those fifteen months that I was off, our family completely uprooted from Buffalo, NY and moved to Orlando, FL. The only people that knew were the people we told and who they shared it with. It was like living in the dark ages for a time and we were at total peace with that. I didn’t miss social media for one moment. My faith had grown so much.
Not long after we moved, I started to feel a shift again. I felt like God was releasing me to be a light once again in the world of social media. He had given me a renewed mission. I re-activated my accounts in the Spring of 2022 just before I launched this website. Ralph and I are certainly not perfect, but as it says on here, we are broken, but redeemed and willing vessels.
The internet truly has become like another dimension of our world. We have universally accepted it to be that. I have said many times in the last five years that social media is a world that people treat as more real than reality itself. I am deeply concerned that people have subconsciously switched in their minds that, what they see on the internet is more real than what’s physically around them. It’s also concerning to me when someone begins to prefer the world of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and whatever other major platform out there, over their own life.
I don’t know how to open people’s eyes to that other than to be on it, too. If I desire to see less division, less confusion, less depression, less anxiety, and more revival in the hearts of man, I need to be willing to be present on it to share these convictions of mine. But, alas, I am faced with the problem of how to communicate on it. I am a strong proponent of face to face interaction.
What is said when I am not face to face with someone must be thoroughly thought through (hows that for a tongue twister?). This still applies to the person that I am sharing my thoughts with who knows me well. Even then, it can still be wrongfully received despite my best efforts.
Last year, our family memorized James 3:7+8 which says, “for every species of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures is being tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison.” We constantly refer to its accuracy.
Before sharing anything with anyone, whether on the internet, in a text message, or face to face, I try to remember to ask the questions, is what I am saying true to the best of my knowledge or research? Will it tear them down or encourage them? Respectfully challenging is much different than blatantly stating a strong opinion. I know that Martin Luther King Jr. thought the same way.
If I have to share something that is thought provoking or convicting, my body sometimes shakes before I share it. I do not want to cause division. I want people to know that they are loved, seen, and known.
I truly don’t want to upset anyone, but I recognize that sometimes words need to be spoken to challenge a person whether that be someone closest to me, someone I physically encounter, or someone in the big, wide world of social media. In the end, when I stand before God, will I have cared more about what man thought or what God called me to? I feel it is wise to consider that now before it's too late.
I, like Dr. King am called to something greater than myself by God. That is to accomplish His purposes while He has still graciously given me breath in my lungs. He has given me a love for others that can only come from him, thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. I couldn’t do any of this without HIM.
I could go back to the stone ages again. Perhaps I will, if God directs me to do so. However, I am certain that He has placed me on this earth for such a time as this. He has slowly molded me into a person with a heart after His. I consciously choose to rely on Him every time I say or write something on this blog or on social media.
Just like Martin Luther King Jr. said in his convicting speech on August 28, 1963, I, too have a dream. I, too desire to see people undivided. I know that ultimately unity will not be complete until the return of Jesus, as did Dr. King. Yet he still chose to be used by God to speak out despite the horrific tension and division in America.
God saw Dr. King’s willingness and used him to help bring forth the eradication of segregation against the African American people. That is why, over sixty years later, we pause our usual work and school days to reflect and celebrate how God used him and the massive impact it has made in our country. I thank God for the beautiful diversity in this nation, have such an appreciation for the differences in ethnicities, and Dr. King played a role in that.
Just like my courageous brother in Christ, I am choosing to use my platform to inspire unity and not division. There are “influencers” out there with well over the approximate 250,000 people that were present in Washington, D.C. to hear his, “I have a dream” speech. What would both the real world and the world of the internet look like if we all shared this perspective?
Words have power. May we choose to use them and the platforms we have been given wisely. May we be inspired by Dr. King’s actions and our hearts be moved by the Creator, who ultimately moved him.
This blog post was written and edited by me. I believe in the authenticity of real people, faults, typos, grammatical errors and all. I also believe that God is intentional with the words that He gives me. If you enjoyed this writing, please consider subscribing to our blog to be updated about what God has been doing in our lives.
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