Catechism: Social Media & My IdentitySample

Nothing is more aggravating to an older sibling than having a little brother or sister copy their every move. And while games of “copycat” can be annoying, the desire to imitate is rooted in love. Because little children adore their older family members, they often imitate the way they speak and act. 

When we choose to follow Jesus, we become a beloved child in God’s family. And just like an earthly parent-child relationship, that status of “child” is a role we did nothing to earn and could do nothing to lose.

Just as our families influence our behaviors and choices, our membership in God’s family begins to change how we think, speak, and act. Over time, our behaviors begin to line up more and more with our identity as God’s child, and we begin to bear what you could think of as a “family resemblance” to our heavenly Father: our attitudes and actions are a reflection of His love. 

Read Ephesians 5:1-14

Reflection Questions: 

1. Describe the relationship between our identity as children of God and our choices. According to the passage, do our choices form our identity, or does our identity inform our choices? What’s the difference? 
2. What specific behaviors should children of God avoid, and which ones should they pursue? 
3. What role do you see social media playing in your life as you try to be an “imitator of God?” Does your time online help you to please God or make it harder to please God?  
4. Do you see any gaps between who God made you to be and who you are right now? Step out of the darkness and into the light; confess these areas of sin to God and a trusted Christian friend. Ask for help as you seek to imitate God in your thoughts, words, and actions.