What's your algorithm

Has anybody else enjoyed the absence of news bulletins on Facebook? I am not wanting to get political but the social medium has been so much more relaxed. Its lovely- No sensational headlines! No awful photos! And no fake news!

This does not mean that awful or wonderful things have stopped happening-you just need to flick the television on or go directly to a news website-like we used to before Facebook took control of spreading the news. I am an ABC news follower and I marvelled at the different attitudes of the presenters that first morning. One -what do we do now? The other immediately advertised the ABC website to catch the latest news throughout the day. Gotta love flexibility😊.

How did Facebook do this? Well, they changed the mathematical equation that controls the data. The algorithm or the modern day gatekeeper: a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer. I loved Maths at High School but I never dreamt that it would hold such an influence over my life. I never considered that my knowledge and awareness of daily events would be controlled by an equation. Whether truthful or not-how about you?

You may say ‘simple hop off Facebook’. But my reply would be ‘then how do I keep in contact with my friends’? or ‘but I would miss seeing the photos of all the fun events.’ A 21st century dilemma!

 I refer back to the ABC news presenter for my suggested solution? Flexibility or more directly change your algorithm. Change your gatekeeper? What? Ok I can’t change Facebook and yes I do choose to keep using it so I need to apply another filter to block its effects on my life. Both the conscious and the subconscious effects.

How? By carrying ‘the shield of faith’! Each day I put on the full armour of God (Ephesians 6) and this buffers me against life and its social media influences. More explicitly I try my hardest to live life as Jesus would and that means in all things, looking at or experiencing life His way. His way is just and righteous and therefore good for me. I practice the Fruit of the Spirit-gifts given to me by God- love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5). I can only do this because of my faith in the Lord Jesus. He is my salvation – the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life- my shield of Faith.

Will you join me and change the algorithm of your life to God’s algorithm? I pray you will.