Facebook De-Activation

Facebook just went public. Millions were made. However, there are still people who opt-out of the worldwide phenomenon that is Facebook; there are people who de-activate their accounts.

There are a myriad of reasons why people decide to close down their Facebook account, but I think one of the major reasons people leave is: exposure. In this "look-at-me" culture that social media has created (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Tumbler, Blogspot, Instagram, Pinterest) it seems insane that sometimes people don't want to be seen or to see. But it's true! All those social sites, and especially Facebook are tools that we use to show the world that we are living our best life. Or it's the tool we use to compare lives. We're checking in at awesome restaurants, concerts, and posting our promotions at work. We're letting everyone know 1) when we fell in love, 2) how we got engaged, and 3) can invite them to the wedding without the cost of a plate. Booyah! It's quite awesome. Until it's not. It's awesome until you realize too much of your life is exposed (we saw your little emoticon heart get broken), or you're too readily available/accessible. Or you realize that you're taking in too much of the lives of virtual friends who are technically strangers. At the point of over-exposure, we deactivate. We don't want to see or be seen anymore.

What am I getting at here?

The reasons why people stop 1) going to church, and 2) reading the Bible.

To some degree it is sheer laziness (that is not to be discounted or ignored), but to another degree, scripture says:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

The word of God makes us see ourselves, and for others who are reading and discerning the word of truth...they can see you too. So in order to avoid over-exposure, we deactivate our accounts. Things you might not want to hear at church or read during your quite time if you do the following:

ANYTHING - Genesis 1:1 - Revelation 22:21 (all versions)


That's the list. For real.

At first, I was going to construct a list of things that people commonly do that the Bible exposes and that other Christians see in us through their knowledge of the Word. But I can't needle it down, because then I do the Word a disservice. It's crazy, but you can either read it and let yourself be exposed and convicted, and let it change you, or you don't read and you are "free" to do what you think is cool (Proverbs 14:12). The Bible gets ALL of us, if we read it. It takes ALL of us down when we sit in the sermon thinking: this sermon is about me! What other book can millions of people think (and know) is about them individually?


I can control social media's perception of me. I'll only post pretty pictures of me at awesome parties, only check-in at swanky restaurants, I'm an open "face"book and I'm the author of it. It's when the social media gets outside my realm of comfortable exposure that I deactivate. But there's another "book" about you, and it's not even written by you. Reactivate your account and find out about yourself in the Bible.