Using
Social media to help build the Kingdom of God and not as an OUTLET…
I have to admit that I am
a little embarrassed to admit that I have participated in the very thing that
affected me in regards to the world of social media. What exactly affected me?
The same thing that affects millions, if not billions, all over the world. It’s
what has changed nearly everything around us. When we take a step back and
really think about how the world has changed so fast during the evolution of
social media it’s quite shocking. What is good has taken the back seat at a
faster rate and what was once thought of as immoral or destructive is now
considered normal, healthy and good. It’s something that doesn’t just affect my
generation… It’s affecting everyone.
My journey with social media really didn’t
start till after my husband Jared passed away in 2011. Hundreds of people
reached out to me, in hopes to lift me, and to be updated on my life as I tried
to pick up the pieces. Even though I was receiving so much love, I had to step
away from it because even knowing about the good and normal lives of others while
my life was so broken hurt me. I started to come back to it as my life started
to pick back up again in 2012. However, it wasn’t until 2015 that I really
started to dive in a little more. I got more friends, more followers, more
interests and hobbies, more money to shop, more desires and finally started my
own online business as a result from receiving many messages from friends and
family wanting help in regards to their fitness goals. As many know, having an
online business means you most likely have to use social media. Unfortunately
my business was myself. My physique... me… During my transformation, I was so
happy with the results as I spent so much time researching, planning, and
trying new things to become even better. Obtaining Body composition,
definition, while having a relatively normal eating regimen was unheard of and
macro counting was becoming HUGE. I found great success in my business but even
though Full on Macros was short lived, I already started to feel the pull and
pressure of the world seeping into my life.
I say “short lived”
because The August my business was up and running was when I nearly lost my
life. I went from being on top of the world physically with a bright future as
an online coach to nearly losing EVERYTHING. At the onset of being hit by
clinical depression I thought my life was over and others looking in had the
same worries. However during that trial I learned something that saved my life.
It’s a tool I continue to use to get me through life which is reaching up to
our Father in Heaven immediately at the onset of a trial and begging to see the
good and find purpose. Just one day after a desperate plea to find the good
during a time where life itself seemed unbearable, I was shown a type of good
that came in a form I would have never expected... An opportunity to change and
learn.
I was actually enlightened as to what was
holding me back from progressing as quickly and efficiently in this life. I
became aware more than even before of that one outlet in life that I had jumped
all the way into. My social media habits, may have had the potential to produce
a lot of good (and it did) but it also had countless flaws. I had felt myself
get warnings through my continuous participation with social media but I always
tried to justify it feeling the good outweighed the bad. Now, it was becoming
more and more clear that everything that was justified and disguised as
“normal” was actually causing destructive habits and thoughts, that were
incredibly distracting (oh my word I cannot put enough emphasis on that) time
consuming, and a vessel for me to compare myself to others. I even found myself
spending excessive amounts of time thinking and obsessing about projects and my
countless hobbies which occupied way too much brain space, took me away from my
kids and living in the moment, and also caused me to at times look past things
I am so grateful for and instead wanting more and more. I also wondered why my
life seemed so average compared to the seemingly never ending excitement and
success of others in my friend bank... and what’s even worse, I learned about
others who had been comparing themselves to me and my life as it was portrayed
through pictures. Because of the skin smoothing filters, the photo
enhancements, the clothing, the newest skin care that’s never ending, the
constant snippets of the best part of people’s day or the perfectly planned
disasters where one still looks awesome, celebrity drama, the newest and
coolest thing to have, the birthday party decorating that’s out of this world,
the amazing physics of women and men posted everywhere, the plumpest lips and
prettiest eyelashes... I became a victim to joked about comment... “hahah gosh it’s
just so addicting!!!!”
During the time I was
becoming aware of how much I was participating and being affected, It felt as
though I was snapping out of this trance! The pictures provided show examples
of slipping. Experimenting... justifying... following the norm. Every single
one of those pictures received many comments, likes and private messages but it
wasn’t till August of 2017 when I had the most clear prompting that changed
everything. This prompting caused, less likes, less interacting and less and
less comments but the idea to not use social media for any other purpose than
to help build the kingdom of God changed my life for the better.
Don’t get me wrong, It has
been very hard to not share all the exciting news and funny day to day things,
and I miss looking forward to the happy/clever replies as a result to my post
as well as keeping up with all the accomplishments of others... BUT I am also
free. I have more time to feed myself spiritually instead of mindlessly scroll
or research things that don’t really matter. My efforts to search for
opportunities to post something are GONE. The pressure of what is attractive
and pretty to the world has diminished and I no longer compare myself to others
constantly because I am LIVING IN MY OWN MOMENT and not comparing my moments to
everyone else’s. I am not influenced by the things that pop up when I “scroll”
that seem to have no impact but slowly creep in. I don’t spend time or feel
pressure on how to improve my skin tone or how I look in pictures... my
concerns about what the world would think have diminished (hence I’m talking
about this to everyone ).
This October’s General Conference gave me the confidence and
courage to share this experience because there were countless talks referring
to the affects of Social Media on the individual. Warnings were given, gray areas were pointed
out and the emphasis on this topic was no longer causally referred to but
bluntly addressed.
Elder Quinten L. Cook’s conference talk “The Eternal
Everyday,” did not dance around or joke about the gray areas in which we can be
victims. Quote, “In our quest for humility, the
modern Internet creates challenges to avoiding pride. Two examples are the
self-indulgent ‘look at me’ approach or attacking others by ranting on Social Media.
One more example is the ‘humblebrag.’ It is defined as ‘an ostensibly modest or
self-deprecating statement [or picture] whose actual purpose is to draw
attention to something of which one is proud.’ The prophets have always warned about
pride and emphasizing the vain things of the world.” End Quote
Elder Gary E. Stevens dedicated
his entire talk “Spiritual Eclipse,” to this danger. He said, Quote, “Ironically, it is not only the negative that
can cause spiritual eclipse in our lives. Often, admirable or positive
endeavors to which we dedicate ourselves can be drawn so close that they blot
out gospel light and bring darkness. Two
additional risks related to Social Media are: idealized reality and
debilitating comparisons. Many (if not most) of the pictures posted on Social Media tend
to portray life at its very best—often unrealistically. We have all seen
beautiful images of home decor, wonderful vacation spots, smiling selfies,
elaborate food preparation, and seemingly unattainable body images. Comparing
our own seemingly average existence with others’ well-edited, perfectly crafted
lives as represented on social media may leave us with feelings of
discouragement, envy, and even failure. In short, don’t let life’s distractions
eclipse heaven’s light. ” End Quote
Sometimes things that seem innocent, helpful and harmless
CAN turn into gray areas. When we venture into gray areas, we are leaving doors
cracked open for Satan to enter. Gray areas don’t usually come to the forefront
until the damage has already begun. They
are harder to identify and usually do not have bright red warning signs. Prayer
can help us recognize the grey areas and warn us against participation before
damage has been done. “Standing in holy places,” is not so black and white anymore.
Satan entices us into the gray. “Distraction” is a vice that is used to waste
our time and occupy our minds, robbing us from spiritual nourishment.
Let us head to the words
of Elder Stevens when he said, “With so many inspired and appropriate use of
technology, let us use it to teach, inspire and lift ourselves and to encourage
others to become their finest---rather than to portray our idealized virtual
selves. Let us also teach and demonstrate the righteous use of technology to
the rising generation and warn against the associated hazards and destructive
use of it.”
YOU GUYS!!!! Take a stand and fight
the flaws—make corrections...Help make social media a safe place for others to
feel lifted and loved not a place for others to compare themselves to YOU, and a place to be distracted from
what truly matters. Comfort one another, share what you learned today,
compliment someone you love in your life, talk about what makes you happy, post
quotes that inspire you, and take this stand that is so worth taking. Expect
fewer likes, less comments, “followers” to “un-follow” because what is good
isn’t always popular, and what isn’t popular is sometimes the hardest thing to
do.
