Your Social Media Presence Matters

The Voice of Zion October 2025 - Home & Family Articles --

We live in a world where social media has become part of daily life. Like many tools, it carries both blessings and dangers. On one hand, it offers opportunities for connection, encouragement, and sharing life with others – even across great distances. On the other, it can easily consume our time, feed comparison, or expose us to influences that weaken faith. The challenge for each of us is to approach social media thoughtfully, with prayer, balance, and awareness of the example we set.  

In these articles, members of the Rockford, Minn., congregation ponder both the good and the potentially harmful sides of social media, and how we as Christians can walk carefully in this space while letting our light shine.

Be with Us as We Use Our Devices 

Stan and Briana Laulainen

Dear Heavenly Father,  

We write to you this day with sincere hope and prayer that You would guide our hearts as we share some of our thoughts about social media and its content. We are so faulty and weak. If we have strayed, steer us back to the center of the flock. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23,24). We are faced with many temptations; we battle the enemy of souls and our sin-corrupt flesh every day. 

Dear God, may You be with us as we use our devices. Faith is personal. We are not a kingdom of rules. Each believer is given the gift of the Holy Spirit and a conscience, as stated in 1 Timothy 3:9, “Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.” May God’s kingdom be a support for us as we make choices with what is appropriate content on social media. Amen. 

Blessings and Dangers 

There are many blessings surrounding social media. We can stay connected to friends from friends far and wide. We can share our life experiences with close ones or the public. Resources found on social media or the internet can be used for a variety of purposes, whether for research or education or listening to live service events or archived sermons.  

On the other hand, screen time can present dangers too. Before one even realizes, they can be faced with the addiction of screen time and its content. Behavior issues can arise,especially among children. Discontentedness can come from comparing one person’s life against another person’s life, desiring to have similar items, lifestyle and opportunities. Another danger of excessive screen time is when it prevents a person from being fully present at haps or visiting in general.  

Even though there is a lot of good information and advice on the internet and social media, some viewpoints are contrary to God’s Word. With so much available on our portable devices nowadays, it is quite easy to fall into gray areas. Worldly music is often part of many posts and videos on various platforms. Content that seems harmless can begin to lead a believer astray. 

Be Sober and Vigilant 

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). The enemy of souls starts with our little finger, then takes our whole hand, then our arm, then our whole body. Bit by bit he creeps in and pulls one from the center of the flock to the outskirts. Unforgiven sin hardens the heart and conscience and can lead to separating us from God. Eventually, a traveler has strayed out of God’s kingdom. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:2). 

As the world continues to move farther from God, we as God’s children desire to be our brother’s keeper. If there is concern about the content a fellow traveler is posting, it is our hope and prayer that we can visit with that person. And if offense has been caused, we would want to take care of matters. We cannot make the journey to our heavenly home alone. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden” (Gal. 6:1–5).  

Being Yourself in Person and Online 

Sarina Siljander

Driving down the familiar road to Hasscib for Mid-Summer Services, my heart starts beating a little faster. I am excited! But also nervous. Here I am again, showing up alone to a social function where I know I belong and want to be and will be so happy I came, but the shy girl in me also knows I will stumble over my words at times and not know what to say besides “Hello, God’s Peace and good to see you!” How will the ice that separates small talk from connection be broken this time? 

That thought leaves my mind as I walk towards the main lodge and into the sanctuary for the start of services. I see many familiar faces and experience many happy greetings and smiles. So many people I want to say hi to! I still don’t know what will be said after that, but over the years I’ve also learned to try get used to that feeling. If nothing else, the weather is an easy topic. 

“Hello Sarina, God’s Peace!” I am greeted by a friend from my former home congregation who I haven’t seen for at least a year or more. “I want to know, have your couches arrived yet?” 

My heart bursts with warmth and genuine laughter bubbles from my stomach, where all the nerves of social anxiety were having a heyday. The ice between small talk and genuine connection has broken. 

You see, I enjoy sharing some of my life on social media and my most recent stories at that time had been about the furniture I had ordered for my house. I never assume anyone has seen or followed anything I have shared, but I find so much joy when these kinds of connections happen! 

I enjoy photography, videography, story writing, and I especially enjoy connecting with people. No one believes that I was a really shy child. They just see the adult that has come of that shy child and don’t always realize the tools I use to help me connect with people, something that means so much to me. 

I have found it easier to stay connected with more people using social media rather than phone calls and text messages. Somehow social media feels less intrusive, less demanding. Texting can make it feel more of an obligation to respond where direct messages in social media are nice to get to when you can. Social media is, for me, a non-intrusive way to stay connected with more people than I would otherwise. 

It has always been important to me that I would be my genuine self as much as possible online as well as in person. When the purpose is to use this tool to stay connected, how genuine would it be if I just shared picture-perfect, curated content only? That’s not me. I would probably not dare show face in real life if I only curled my hair for online pictures when in real life I barely curl my hair. I think it would feel like I was living two lives, one online and one in the real world. 

I have an online presence for business purposes also, including several social media accounts, websites, and YouTube channels. Some are for online-only businesses that are content or product-driven, or both. My main career is as a real estate agent, and I use those platforms for business awareness and to market properties. 

The advice for growing an online business is all across the board: the algorithms are always changing, people are always selling this or that tool or online course to show you the best way to be found by customers online. I don’t know if this is still the case, but for a while the advice given to make viral reels on Instagram was to use “trending audio” on your content. This would then allow the reel to ride the success the audio was experiencing to increase your reel’s exposure. Is this part of what has led some to make music choices that are concerning and not something a believer would want to use? 

A few years ago, we created a small group of believing small business owners in our area to meet regularly to discuss business. It started with the focus being social media because online is such a lonely place. It can feel like you are talking to a brick wall. This is still a focus in our discussions. We want to be our brothers’ keepers. 

Even outside this group, we want to be our brother’s keeper with anyone we see online. It can be hard to do because no one of us is better than the other. When we see or hear something concerning, we can pray for the opportunity to say something to that person and for the words to say. I likewise hope that someone would reach out to me if I offend or have caused concern with something I have posted. 

With both my personal accounts and my business accounts, I wish to always stay true to who I am as a person and as a believer. I would cautiously say I think there is a place for believers to be content creators in the online world, just like in the real world. 

Along with blessings of the online world come many dangers. I think the ease of access is one of the biggest dangers. In the real world, we would have to drive to a movie theater, buy a ticket, walk in and sit down. In the online world we simply have to click on a website or an app. Technology can feed us temptations in the forms of popups, ads and “for you” content – sometimes it is content that we would never want to see but somehow it has now been delivered to us. 

Another real danger with the online world is how lonely the experience can be. Not only lonely in the sense that our time spent there might feel like it’s fulfilling our need for real social interaction, but also lonely in the sense of being alone somewhere where no one else can see what you are doing.   

As I was walking to my car at the end of Mid-Summer Services, I heard a car coming up behind me on its way out. The vehicle slowed, the window opened, and with a big smile the driver told me, “I’ll be waiting to see when your couches are delivered! Goodbye, God’s Peace!”  

Before I post, comment or scroll, what are some good questions I can ask myself about my online presence? 

• Why am I posting or sharing this? 

• How much of my time is being spent online? 

• What kinds of things am I choosing to share? 

• Do I have permission before posting about someone else? 

• What message am I sending – does it let my light shine? 

• Could what I share be misunderstood or cause offense, even unintentionally? 

• Am I being a brother’s keeper online as well as in person?

Phone Time 

Debra Herrala 

I find myself easily getting caught in the web of influencer stories and balancing reality. Nursing my baby and scrolling my phone. The 2 year old in the kitchen goes unnoticed. Soon I have powdered sugar all over the counter and floor. My patience is low because I’m distracted, and I snap. Is this the example I want to set as a mother to my children?  

I lay my sleeping baby down, put my Hearken app playing music, and set my phone aside. While I reflect on this moment and others like it, it makes me ponder the impact phone usage has on homes around us. Grandmas and grandpas lonely in their chair, teens craving constant interaction, and all ages in between. 

Social media platforms can be a great way to stay in contact with family and friends from all over the world. Whether we share pictures or video clips, we get a glimpse of life in their corner.  

While it comes with blessings, it can easily take over the day, and time spent “doom scrolling” might keep us from meeting up with a friend. Perhaps a post we had to perfect before sharing, made the evening at haps slip by staring at our phone and not visiting the ones in the same room. We quickly compare the places this person is going, or how another is redecorating a space again. Contentment for what we have can quickly vanish while comparison and envy take over. 

Do we remember to connect with each other in person? Or does snapping someone replace the value of face-to-face connection? Are we allowing apps on our phone to replace the connection we have with our spouse? What example are we setting for those child eyes that are always watching? 

It’s important to prioritize putting phones aside and spending time having a meal and quality time together without distraction. It is important to have boundaries for our own time usage, so we can also set them for our children. We can only teach by the example we ourselves are to others. Is what the kids view over your shoulder something you’d share with your own parent? Even the music that plays behind the stories we scroll; while we may tune them out, their little ears soak in, confusing the instruction of what’s appropriate. The sports game highlights they see over the arm of the couch can cloud the instruction of not letting sports become close to our flesh.  

We can quickly become immune to the things we scroll past, and soon our own posts have background music or photo filters we wouldn’t have otherwise used. This again gives pause to consider the light we are being to those around us. While we scroll, create, post and like, may we keep in mind the instruction in Philippians 4:8. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  

What is doom scrolling? 

Doom scrolling is when we keep scrolling through news or social media longer than we mean to, often leaving us feeling weighed down instead of refreshed.

Discussion Questions 

1. Connection vs. Comparison: How can we use social media to genuinely connect with others without slipping into comparison or envy?  

2. Boundaries and Balance: What practical boundaries could we set for ourselves and our families to keep social media in its right place?  

3. Authenticity: What does it mean to be genuine and “real” in what we share online? How might curated or “picture-perfect” content affect others?  

4. Influence and Example: How do the things we watch, post, or listen to online shape the example we set for our children, friends, and congregation? 

5. Brother’s Keeper: In what ways can we look out for one another online? How might we lovingly address concerning content, or receive feedback ourselves?

6. Faith and Conscience: How can we prayerfully use our conscience and God’s Word to navigate gray areas in online life?

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