Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Whose FACE are you seeking: The Facebook Experiment

"Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore." Psalm 105:4, NKJV

So, I caved. A few months ago all of my friends were raging about Facebook. You know, the computer site where you sign up with all your vital statistics, and put a big old picture of your face on the front. It is really cool, you can search for old friends, keep connected with current friends and stay in touch with family. You can post pictures, take fun quizzes, etc... You can even have a dog that you pet and play with and feed. I finally decided to give it a try when my niece said, "Aunt Amanda YOU DON'T HAVE A FACEBOOK?" You would think I had committed some sort of cardinal sin. I all of a sudden felt every bit my age. "A facebook? Ugh, not you too!" So...feeling like the uncool Aunt that I had all of a sudden become, I took the plunge and plugged into this cyber world we know as Facebook.

I realized quickly that it was going to take every bit of my willpower to stay off the computer. I had people immediately request to be my friend! Woohooo, people want to be my friend! I had old high school and college classmates to catch up with, friends from other States to look up. Oh, and let's not forget my newly formed family tree so that my whole family could be involved with one another.

Pretty soon people were sending me plants, bling, scrapbook supplies. By sending and receiving plants I could actually help the environment. By sending people virtual scrapbook gifts, it made them smile. I could add all sorts of applications to my facebook and chat with tons of people who had fallen by the wayside over the years.

In the beginning, I was spending A LOT of time on the computer and a whole lotta time on Facebook. One day while I was happily letting my free time sift like grains of sand through the hourglass I heard a still small voice, "Whose face are you seeking today?" Of course I just chalked it up to my new obsession. Then I heard it again a bit louder this time, "Daughter, Whose Face are you Seeking Today".

Oh Boy....I knew what was coming. I had spent so much time searching for Faces, that I was forgetting the most important face of all. God. I had not cracked a bible in day's or dropped my head in earnest prayer. I had not spent my "free" time wisely. I was so wrapped up in seeking the face of others, that I forgot to seek the Face of my BEST friend, the one who never fell by the wayside over the years, the one who carried me through every tough time, the one who loves me so much he sacrificed His only Son for me. I forgot to seek the face of God.

I was ashamed. How could I let something so "innocent" suck me in so fast. In reality, my "obsession" lasted only about a week. Then I turned it way down. As I focused on the Face of my Lord, I was able to visit Facebook at a more moderate "check in" level and I would go weeks without checking it at all. I realized that although I love finding and catching up with old friends, it doesn't mean a whole lot if I am not checking in and catching up with my Best Friend.

I would challenge you to ask yourself honestly, Whose Face are you Seeking Today?

Will you find me on Facebook? Yes, I still love some of the wonderful friends I have reconnected with. The difference is that before I seek a new Facebook friend, you will see me seeking the Face of God first.