I Have Decided

If you ever want your heart broken, go to www.sixbillionsecrets.com.

Actually, I'm not sure I can condone that. This website contains so much pain, so much despair, that it is anything but uplifting. The cutters; the people who have never believed they're beautiful; the abused; the wounded; the abandoned; all come here to spill their secrets to the world, anonymously. And I cannot, for the life of me, understand why...

...until I see the number declaring the hundreds of people who have "liked" this secret. Who have noticed it. Who have in some small way affirmed this person's pain, and given them a reason to believe they can go on.

This generation is dying. This is a generation that screams silently, that openly declares its feelings to everyone with internet, yet cannot personally tell closest friends and the people who need to hear these stories.

This is a generation that is dying to be seen. To be noticed. To be loved.

This is not written to those people, although I have much I could say to them. But they don't need my words. Words can do very little against such deep pain. I will not tell them to turn away from themselves, although I do believe that pouring one's life out for others is an incredible way of healing.

This is written to those of you whom Christ has made strong. This is a call to stand; to notice; to fight. Millions around you are dying; yet how many of us take the time to notice? How many of us wrestle in prayer for the souls of those whom Christ calls Beloved? How many of us, even though we have been rescued and have every reason to spend our lives for others, are still focused on our own problems?

Christianity is to be a bold forsaking of self. It is to be a relentless pursuit of Christ; and a continuous laying down of our own desires to fulfill His call to reach the least of these around us. It is not a name. It is not an activity. It is not something to be taken lightly. It is passionate.

So come to life! It's what you were meant to do! Stop focusing on the problems in front of you. You have been eternally snatched back from hell -- do you realize that? You did nothing to deserve the great love you have received. You have been promised eternal joy in the presence of the Most High God! Your needs pale in comparison to the aching need of this joyless generation. So rise, shine, for your light has come (Isaiah 60:1). You were made strong for a reason: You were made strong so that you could be poured out for the weak.

Become Christ's prayer warriors. Become His hands and feet. You have already been given all you need for this life. So go, and share it with a dying world. Regardless of what they think of you, stand for your God. Even if you are mocked, never cease to share the hope you have been given. We will not always know what effect our words have; all we can determine is whether or not we will speak when He says, "Speak," whether or not we will go when He says, "Go." Be a part of reviving the bold spirit of true discipleship. Say with the hundreds of heroes of Christianity, "I have decided to follow Jesus. Though none go with me, still I will follow.

"No turning back."

The Unlikely Mission Field

It's inspiring. It's heartbreaking. It tells stories of hearts broken and lives remade. It's time-consuming. It can make some smile. It makes others weep. It can be uplifting or oppressive. It can be en enormous waste of time, or it can be a way of radiantly reflecting Christ and reaching out to serve others.

It's Facebook.

When Facebook first became popular, I was hugely confused about what was so great about it. I updated my status around once a month. I was a boring Facebook user.

As I got older and began to lose contact with more of my friends, I began to see the utility of Facebook in staying connected to people I would otherwise probably never hear from. Many of my friendships have stayed alive because of Facebook. Now, it has become one of my greatest areas for ministry.

The following is my "Facebook philosophy" -- the "policies" I have adopted so that rather than being a distraction and poor use of my time, time on Facebook can become a way of reaching out to others and encouraging them.

• Discover Spirit-led prayer. Most of us spend much more time on Facebook than we need to, simply because we have "nothing better to do." It should take no more than five or ten minutes to get all of your "Most Recent" posts read. Then, instead of spending time playing games or creepily stalking peoples' profiles, ask God to open your eyes to the people who need prayer. I used to pray for every single person who appeared on my news feed by name whenever I would read their posts. While I no longer do that, as it actually increased my time spent online, this habit was a wonderful time of learning to discern God's voice. Many times, something specific would come to mind for certain individuals. God still uses status updates to draw my attention to someone who needs prayer -- even if their status is as simple as, "Chocolate ice cream is delicious."
• Take advantage of messaging. I don't mean chat; I turn my chat off. But you have the opportunity to reach and encourage people with the click of a button. Send encouraging messages. Let somebody know you're praying for them. You never know how God is working; I've often gotten messages back saying that was exactly what that person had needed at the time. [Note: This does not mean you should send messages willy-nilly. Ask God if there is someone who needs an encouraging word, and if He brings no one to mind, send nothing.]
• Don't post negative statuses. Two hundred and nineteen of your "friends" do not need to know your most intimate struggles. They don't need to know how much you hate your parents. Your post-break-up depression does not need to be posted for every person you know (or don't know) to read about. Thoughts of self-harm are intended to be shared with parents or another trusted adult, not with that one guy you met at that camp that one time. If you would not tell every single one of your Facebook friends in person, don't post it on Facebook. It comes off as a poor, selfish cry for attention; and far too often, it gets the desired reaction in the form of comments from well-meaning friends.
• Don't be too open. You are a complex individual with unique circumstances, emotions, and reactions. The moment you declare every single thing you feel on Facebook, you lose your intrinsic mystery and become a much less fascinating person. Even if it is a positive experience, don't share every detail of your personal life with all these people. I rarely share my emotions on Facebook unless they are generic feelings of praise, gratitude, love, etc. Even when I am privately discussing the way God is working in my life, I do not give specific examples. Try to keep some of that old-fashioned distance and reserve in the way you write your status messages. I seriously doubt you would truly want hundreds of people knowing the inner workings of your heart; and yet, many of us unwittingly post them daily (and in great detail).
• Be encouraging. If you can't post something nice, don't post it at all! Whenever I've found myself wanting to post something less-than-positive, I come to realize that it is simply because I want the attention. I want people to feel sorry for me. But here are more than 200 people who do not need any more negativity in their life, especially from someone who claims to have the joy of the Lord as her strength. If anything, they need a word of encouragement from Jesus Christ. So more often than not, I end up posting things that weren't written by me at all. They are quotes from people far wiser than I; and they end up crazily blessing people when I least expect it.

Of course, Facebook is intended for fun. It's alright to post something weird and crazy once in a while. It's alright to tell people what a great night you had at your friend's party. But step back and consider: Is what I am saying a good use of my time? Is this something that is going to bless the people who read it, or will I become "just another status"? Even worse, am I trying to get attention? Am I causing people to be dragged down by my poor attitude, or am I pointing them heavenward?

Facebook can be an incredible opportunity for ministry. After all, how else do you have contact to so many people in a single day? So long as we use it wisely and selflessly, I am convinced that God can easily work through Facebook to bring people to Him. I challenge you to consider how you can use a social network for His glory. You may end up blessing people without ever knowing it!