Lessons from Cyberspace

Social media is teaching me a few things.

1. Spelling and grammer lessons. Even as I write this I am re-writing and checking how I spell words. I edit as I write because I want to present my best self to others.

2. Internet Etiquette. Do I emphasize with all capital letters? will I offend with my tone? am I writing out of anger? do I write and then delete rather than send? All very important questions to ask in maintaining relationships on the world wide web.

3. Being succinct. When I am on Twitter I am reminded of how important being clear and brief is. I enjoy this because it is an exercise in self-restraint with my words.

4. Old relational patterns die hard. This is a difficult one for me. For example, today I am experiencing an old habit of feeling ignored....a very powerful experience from my childhood. It is a negative experience from my childhood and therefore, I feel disappointed. I struggle with disappointment. It makes me sad. I remember my place in the family and the best way to hurt me is to ignore me. Perhaps I'm drawn to social media sites because I want to be known by others. To want to be known is to risk being ignored or worse, rejected. Seems like a two-edged sword. All the more reason to watch how I present myself in cyberspace.

As I write this I'm reminded of the mission statement of Classical Conversations: "to know God and to make Him known." That's the mission of the Christian life, isn't it? Soli Deo Gloria. Perhaps I need a mission statement for my social media relationships. To glorify God. Is my speech building up others? Am I presenting Christ through my words (which would be the deeds of internet relationships)? Am I fleeing temptation to glorify myself?

I know one thing after writing this. I am thankful that God doesn't ignore me. No relationship I have, human or cyber, needs to substitute for what I have through Jesus.