“Every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.” — Moroni 7:13
Focus on building relationships
God knows your heart and the hearts of those around you. As you strengthen your relationship with God, He will help you know who to reach out to.
When you make the effort to keep in touch with friends and take a genuine interest in their lives, natural opportunities to talk about the gospel will follow. Here are a few suggestions you can try while strengthening friendships online:
- Reach out and catch up with old friends you haven’t seen in a long time.
- Check in with friends who are going through a major life change. Even if it’s happy news, they may be feeling overwhelmed, or welcome someone to celebrate with.
- Give heartfelt comments rather than simply liking posts.
- Post things that invite interaction, such as asking questions.
- Join online groups of people who live in your community or share similar interests, and then strive to be a helpful, positive presence in the group.
Read: Everyone’s Needs Are Different
Be genuine and authentic
Sometimes social media is used to create distorted, idealized versions of peoples’ lives. As you share, help people get to know the real you. Be open and honest about the natural ups and downs of life and how the gospel helps you navigate them. For example, you might share that you have been overwhelmed at work, but felt a new sense of strength after “recharging” at church.
“Our messages should be truthful, honest, and accurate. We should not exaggerate, embellish, or pretend to be someone or something we are not.”—Elder David A. Bednar
Don’t worry about crafting the perfect message. Remember, some of the Book of Mormon’s authors lamented their writing skills, and yet what they wrote has been a powerful force for good that has changed millions of lives. As Nephi reminds us, “For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men” (2 Nephi 31:3).
Read: How to Talk about Your Faith Naturally
Share inspiring content
Part of sharing the light of Jesus Christ’s gospel is being an example of the hope and happiness that come from following the Savior and belonging to His Church. You can start by asking yourself, “If all someone knew about me was my online presence, would they know I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ?”
In addition to sharing about your own life and asking your friends about theirs, sharing stories, videos, scriptures, quotes, or other uplifting content from others can help touch peoples’ hearts. Your best results will come when you pray for guidance on what to share and who to share it with. But here are a few suggestions you can try when sharing:
- Talk about the Savior.
- Ask questions that invite your friends to share about their beliefs and experiences, and listen carefully to their responses so you can better respond to them.
- Add context to things you share, like telling why a quote was meaningful to you.
- Include a simple invitation, such as linking to the social media channel or website where you found the content and inviting people to follow it.
- Send a follow-up message if someone expresses interest on one of your posts.
While the tips outlined in this article can help you find ways to naturally share the gospel online, you don’t need to feel limited to only posting about religion on social media. Your friends and family still want to know what is going on in the rest of your life! Part of being yourself is sharing things that are fun and interesting to you.