It All Depends How You Use It

Last month I joined Facebook, the popular social networking website. While it can be a great way to connect with people (sometimes people you haven't seen or heard from in a long time), my initial complaint was it seemed to me to be simply a place for people to talk about what they are doing at any particular moment:

"John Doe is vegging out watching TV."
"Jane Smith is at her grandparents' house and feeling bored."

Or for people to proclaim their affiliations:

"Sam Jones is a fan of Legos."
"Tammy Black is a fan of South Dakota."

I've not yet figured out what all is entailed in being a fan on Facebook. Perhaps it reflects my age that I'm not really interested. However, today I discovered a new way to use Facebook: writing on other people's "walls"! I'm not talking about graffitti here, but everyone home page has a place for people to write them messages that anyone who goes there will see. It's not a new thing. A lot of people write on other people's walls. The message might just say, "Hi, how are you!" It could say, "Where were you when I tried to call last night?" Or there could be an ongoing conversation about some issue of importance to the correspondents.

But the message also might be a way to express an affirmation for someone you know could use one (and who can't?). It could even be a way to announce when you've "caught" someone doing a good thing.

"Mary, I saw you give up your place in line for a younger kid in the lunch line today. Good going!"

"Bill, I appreciated the friendly way you dealt with a difficult customer today."

That sort of thing. The person him/herself might not even know they did it. Or they might not have intended anyone to know, but good deeds deserve to be proclaimed from the rooftops by others who happen to see them.

Jesus told his followers, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). We can be bearers of the light for others, when we give voice to the good things that they do.

Any means of communication might become shallow and self-serving. Or it could used to serve others, or even God. It all depends how you use it.