Just last week I came to the realization that I have been on Facebook for a whole 5 years!!! (actually today 5 years ago) I clearly remember the day I joined! I just had our 6th baby and I was suffering from a spinal headache and couldn’t get off the couch, let alone sit up. Our church was having a Valentine dinner that night and so I decided “Let’s see what this Facebook hype is all about”.
Well…..then it started……finding your “friends”, posting pictures, keeping up with what everyone is doing……
The hours turned into days and the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, then realizing I’ve been on Facebook for 5 whole years! WOW!!! What have I done with my time? I really don’t remember what it was like BEFORE Facebook? Isn’t that sad?
Here are 5 things I’ve learned from being on Facebook:
- It can suck you in. Yup, there is something magical about sitting in front of your computer and looking at your friend and family’s pictures and updates. It’s becomes a pull on your time and before you know it….you’ve blown precious time. (that you don’t get back)
- It’s fun to connect with people. Of course the beauty of Facebook is so you can connect or reunite with friends and family here and around the world. It’s awesome that you can know what they are doing every second of the day but at the same time it can be a bit ridiculous too.
- It can be hurtful. Not that I’ve experience MUCH of this one……but when someone de-friends you or you find out your excluded from an event or even not so nice comments all can lead to hurt feelings or even sometimes the end to a friendship. If we are not careful we can fall into such traps that leads to broken marriages, family feuds, or loss of good friendships.
- It can be a great tool. This is something that I use for my blog and also for our church. It’s an awesome way to remind others of upcoming events at your church/business/blog. It can also be a great witnessing tool. Let me add….you must be careful not to proclaim your a Christian one day and then turn around the next day and curse and carry on OR post pics or videos that wouldn’t be pleasing to the Lord. (that was just a side note)
- It can be an avenue to discontentment. Let’s all face it….most people will only put the best pictures of themselves or their family, only update when your kids all made the honor roll, or got the big promotion at work. Now, there is on the other hand those who will just complain and grumble no matter what day it is. I’m sure you have people on your page like that too! Either way, we’ve got to guard against looking at what everyone else’s family looks like, does, and owns. Learn to be content with the husband, kids, house, car, job he has given you.
All in all, Facebook has it’s purpose and can be a wonderful tool to use to connect with others, but there are also many traps. One of them for me it being a BIG TIME WASTER!
Now, I’m not going to delete Facebook in a haste, but I am going to discipline myself to limit my time on there. I’m setting limits and will keep to them as best as possible. Everything in moderation as they say!
Right now I try and make it a habit not to log on and see what the world is doing until I’ve met with God first. Making God my 1st thing is the best thing! It’s important to set boundaries and limits to everything. Facebook can be a great thing, but too much of it can lead to your priorities getting messed up and backwards.
I honestly don’t want the next 5 years to pass by me on the computer sitting and being consumed with everyone else’s life. I do enjoy Facebook and connecting with others but I want to make sure that I’m enjoying my time with God, and my family first!
How do you limit Facebook? Do you find it a distraction? Do you have rules and limits in place with social media?
A Heart for the Home 
My one rule for facebook is not to befriend an ex-boyfriend. While I love my husband wholeheartedly, I don’t want to allow any room for even inappropriate conversations or gossip.
Facebook truly does suck me in at times, but I find it a wonderful way to share pics and events to my friends and family. However, I probably should clean out some people who really aren’t close to me.
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I so agree with all these points. #3 and #5 actually prompted me to take a Facebook fast which I’ve never really recovered from. Now I am starting to use it as my Blog Page only [“God’s Girl”] rather than my personal page.
Facebook is definitely a time waster and for some reason encourages people to only show their shiny side. It seems boastful which is not Christian at all. Twitter appeals to me more and I find it way more encouraging. I have tons of believers on my feed who mainly post Scripture and that makes my day.
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Wow, this made me realize I’ve been on Facebook for 7 1/2 years. (I was on it back when only people with college emails could have one.) I’ve experienced these ups and downs that you have written about and am still try to decide if it is really worth it. I also want to make sure that I spend my time with God first. I think if we do that He will lead us to spend our time wisely. Thanks for sharing!
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I appreciate this post and agree……..I spend very little time on Facebook for that reason….although it has been a way to have an impact on distant nieces and nephews who lack discretion and post too much, but give an opening, so it does have its place. Thank you for posting this….something we all need to remember and be aware of. 🙂 Gentle Joy
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I agree with all your points! Yes, Facebook has its positive and negative aspects….
Thanks for the reminder…!!
🙂
hugs x, Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
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This is great – thanks for sharing your insight. Facebook is both a blessing and a thorn in my side. I waffle between the desire to delete it completely, and hanging on to it for ministry’s sake. I like your boundaries- its so easy to think I’m going to hop on for just a second, and end up sucked in!
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#4 and #5, especially, YES!! I love the networking and support it can provide – and it’s a wonderful way to share prayer requests and praises. But it can all too easily become a temptation for discontentment and jealousy. We only see what other people want us to see, and that’s hard to remember sometimes.
Found you at the Thrive @ Home linkup. Have a blessed day!
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Oh….boy…. you stepped on my toes. God showed me a while back what a time waster FB can be, a distraction, and I agree with all your points.
I now limit my time on FB. Although, I can get sucked in at times.
Thanks for this reminder that even good things can be bad if not used in moderation.
May we remember that our time is God’s time and we need to be about the Father’s business in every aspect of our lives
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I like that you really kept it positive. Facebook is like chocolate cake. Good in moderation. Detrimental to the health in excess. Let’s enjoy the sweetness in moderation, and also let’s be gracious with those who are still struggling to find the balance. so often I hear people feel the need to get so negative when they are out of control with the habit…well, the fact is we all are accountable for our moments and our words. I totally relate to the struggle, but I am not going to force feed anyone chocolate cake, nor am I going to judge and put them down because they are freely enjoying it. lol. forgive my ramble, as you can see I have pondered this …over chocolate cake more than once. You did a wonderful job of presenting the pros and cons but also are sensitive to finding the balance. as for me, I really seek to prioritize letting God lead in my SM time prayerfully, just like every other area. It’s just an extension of all other areas of our life , in my opinion , so comes under the “pray about everything” topic! Plus, self -control, a fruit of the spirit is something God wants to grow us in and give to us, as we ask. My fave verse in the NIV says (Ecclesiastes) The man who fears God will avoid ALL extremes (my emphasis). Stopping in from Juana’s.
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I appreciate your kind words! Yes, it’s totally up to that person how much time is too much for them and each person has to develop a disciplined life in all areas! Chocolate cake and all! LOL! Thanks for stopping by!
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Wow..nicely said! I know I have been pulled into Facebook and have been quilty of logging on before I pick up my bible for the day. Thanks for reminding me that nothing is more important making the right choices each day!
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It really is a big time waster… In five years (or well, now I wonder how long I have been on there?) I wonder how much time was actually spent on Facebook. You know, now that we have been on Facebook, we have spent a total of 3 months (or whatever ridiculous amount) of our lives on Facebook. The gain – keeping in contact – is a double sided argument. Motive can be questionable, as established in the hurt category… Something to think about for sure. Visiting from Wednesday Prayer Girls.
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Hi, joining you from the Road to 31 link up! I love the reasons you have here – there is some good and some not so good in social media. I’m also cutting back my time on there significantly. It’s costing me, as others are not in the same place and want to continue to engage on there. I have fears that I’ll be left out or be forgotten! But more than anything right now, I want to concentrate on the hidden years with my children. I don’t want them to remember me always be glued to a screen. It sure takes some discipline!
I just watched ‘Captivated – the Movie’ last night. Well worth the watch. Very challenging!
– Victoria
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Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I agree….I don’t want my kids remembering anything but me being there for them! Not mom in front of the computer ALL day! Blessings to you!
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I’ve never had a Facebook and I don’t want one. I’ve heard too many things happen on there from others. I’m not so sure I want to invite it into my life, or my home. I have noticed that friends that got a FB, now call me less and others – they seem to have disconnected in real life to “connect” online.
A few years ago, I ran into a group of women I knew from my church at a store and told them I was pregnant. They were so shocked and excited and one said, “It is such a weird feeling to not know something, I haven’t felt that in a long time.” She said she knows everything about everyone on FB and to come across someone in the church who she didn’t know that I had been pregnant for 6 months, she was shocked. She said she misses that feeling and looked like she was about to cry.
Just thought I would share a different perspective from a non-FB-user, we are out there lol! =)
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I hop on fb to read a couple of statuses (or post one) or leave a comment or “like” something and then I’m off. I pop on and off several times a day, but I’m never there for very long.
I turned off “chat” because people kept trying to chat with me. If someone needs or wants to call me they can call me. I want to get on facebook and get off. Not sit and chat so that I can keep someone from being bored while they’re “killing time.”
But I love how facebook gives you the opportunity to connect with people via being able to read and comment on their posts. You can keep in touch with lots of people that way. Which sounds funny considering I just said I didn’t want to chat, lol! Just no live chat, haha. I can’t stand typing in that tiny little box! Thanks for linking up to Making Your Home Sing Monday.
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I do not have a FB page either. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. I did have a Pinterest account for a little while and experienced the struggles you mentioned above. The biggest being the wasted time. I decided to turn that off. It wasn’t worth the struggle to find balance. That was a time waster in and of itself. So, I just eliminated it altogether. That seemed like the best choice for me. Life is too short! God has blessed me with the health and time to enjoy real life moments. Those are the memories I want to look back on when I’m old and gray. 🙂
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I couldn’t agree more! Social media can be good to a point but when we fall over the edge and let it consume us….then we know it’s time to cut it out. Thanks for stopping by! Blessings!
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I completely agree! So true – why miss out on your own life by being consumed with everyone else’s lives. Moderation is key, like you said!
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What a great reminder ! Thanks for sharing. I do enjoy FB so I can keep in touch with family and friends from the other part of the world 🙂
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I found you on Christianmommybloggers fellowship Friday link party. I ((love)) your words explaining your blog..”.Having a real joy & passion for the home doesn’t just happen.” Thank you. I pray blessings on your ministry. Women need to be encouraged and know that this is one of the hardest jobs on the planet. And yes, I agree with everything you’ve learned about Facebook. Ditto! I’ll visit again. ~andy lee
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Thank you Andy…..it is a hard job but it is so well worth it too, isn’t it? I thank you for stopping by and for reading! Blessing to you!!!
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I found you on Christian Mommy Blogger.com as well today. I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook for all the reasons you described! So glad I’m not alone. 🙂
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I followed for the link-up at Thrive at Home Thursday.
Yes, I agree with the positives and negatives you’ve listed here about facebook. I will hit my 5 years in October. Not having a smart phone or a texting plan, it helps me stay in touch with family.
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#1 is so true! I’ve had to limit myself to about 15-20 minutes in the morning and occasionally another 10 at night. I just have too many more important things to do than to get sucked into FB.
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