Stepping Away from the Noise

About a month ago I decided that it was time to remove myself from the worlds of Facebook and Threads (I would have quit Twitter/X but I’ve never had that ridiculous platform to begin with.) Being that facebook access is a pretty integral part of managing my church social media, and really the only way that a lot of extended family sees pictures of my family I’ve kept the account live, hence why you probably clicked a link on facebook to get here.

My decision was simply to remove these platforms from the glowing rectangle that I carry in my pocket day in and day out. Why? Because it’s becoming an increasingly more conflicted space and I just can’t live there anymore. I can’t allow the vitriol, the nastiness, the instant outrage, and immediate reporting of bad news to be available to me in every single moment of every day.

Social Media: From Joy to Thief

I was in the first generation of social media users — back when it was simply a way to connect with people on your own college campus. It was an afterthought. A place to connect and share photos of the previous night’s escapades. It has become something much more sinister than that. What was once a place of joy remembered and memorialized has become the thief of joy. And I learned a long time ago that letting a thief live in your home is a terrible way to hang onto that which you value most.

The Gift of Joy

All that is to say this: In a short month I have recovered so much joy. Have I missed anything in the world? No. I know what has happened. Terrible things have happened. Charlie Kirk was assassinated. A whole bunch of people thought a literal rapture would happen (it didn’t.) The problems of our day still exist. I’m not blissfully unaware. But I am quite unaware of what everyone thinks about it all. And let me tell you something: not knowing what everyone thinks about everything has allowed me to love everyone better.

Looking to Jesus

What amazes me most about Jesus was that somehow in the mystery of his identity as 100% God and 100% human he was able to love everyone. Somehow, with access to everyone’s thoughts and heart inclinations he was able to love them. Somehow divine access to the inner working of the broken human realities all around him, Jesus’s humanity (the part of him that you and I share in) wasn’t turned against his fellow humans. Rather, his heart was more inclined to love and rescue them. I have learned in the past decade that I am not naturally like Jesus in this regard.

A Word from Philippians

But removing myself from the constant commentary, half truths, and downright propaganda has given me an incredible gift: joy. And time to enjoy that joy. I was reading through the book of Philippians over the past week, and was reminded of the beautiful words that precede what is known as the Kenotic Hymn. This hymn is about the posture of humility that Jesus took on in order to serve us and show us the great love God has for us.

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other.” (Phil. 2:1–2)

I am not under any pretenses that Paul means that we should agree about every item under the sun. I am 100% sure however that what Paul is referring to is that we should be thinking, loving, and sharing in the way of Jesus. We may not all agree on what human beings should do or the direction in which our governing and economic systems should move. But we all should — actually must — resolve ourselves to asking, exploring, and then acting (including speaking) in a manner that is consistent with the loving heart of Jesus.

Cultivating Joy in Real Life

I find that it is easier for me to act and speak in a manner that is consistent with the loving heart of Jesus when I disconnect from online discourse and engage with people in the real world. In fact, the people whom I once had the hardest time with in my head are now residing in the softer spaces of my heart. This is the good news. This is where joy is cultivated.

A Better Use for Social Media

Is there good use for social media? For me only for a few things:

• Ministry uses and advertising
• Connecting with family
• Endless amounts of cat, punk rock, and comedy content thanks to Instagram

That’s it. The rest is not for me. Maybe it’s for you, and that’s cool. But I’d invite you to check out the joy that can be found in the real world with real people that the real God of the universe has created you to really love.

So go on, stop reading this mess and make my joy complete by deleting this app from your phone and looking at a cloud or petting a dog or something.