In recent days, I’ve been slipping quietly back onto Facebook. A status “like” here. A photo peek there. As I return to this place, I come cautious and with a renewed vision.

Cautious because I know how it has affected me in the past. How it became a time-waster for me. How it turned my guts inside out as I fretted over the things people were posting – as if we all need to be yelled at and convinced instead of the honest give-and-take of real dialogue. How easy it is to mock or complain or caricature when you don’t have to look the other person in the eye and consider that they are real, living souls with a history and unique perspective and… feelings. How weary I’d grown of yet another venue that is trying to sell me stuff. How it can be a place of comparison and coveting between friends.

With renewed vision because it offers a kind of connection to people that I really do like. I missed the little peeks at what people were up to or the memories from previous years. I missed seeing posts reflecting on what people thought after church on Sunday or other local events. There are the thoughtful posts too – the ones offered to inform or truly create dialogue. And, of course, there are my “This Is Us” peeps and the groups to which I belong. It really CAN be a place of community and sharing. In fact, just this week there was a call to prayer from a dear college friend whose husband’s heart stopped beating this weekend. She lives in Florida and we aren’t tight enough that I would have known so quickly if not for Facebook.

So I’m sneaking back…

But, not without some change. These words, penned by Paul of Tarsus all those hundreds of years ago, will be my guiding principle for the things that I post or discuss there:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

These are words he gives the church at Philippi. In their context, they are couched in exhortations not to worry but instead to rejoice in all things and let the peace of God guard our hearts. Turns out, things haven’t changed much in 2,000 years. We still need reminded to set our hearts on things that really matter and not get consumed by anxiety about the world around us.

Join me? Let’s go on a joy search today – basking in whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable!