Facebook status updates and gratitude

I was thinking this afternoon about how Facebook status updates give people the chance to celebrate the mundane, and express gratitude for the little blessings in life. Status entries such as ________ is "enjoying a warm latte", "looking forward to seeing her family over Thanksgiving", or "happy the sun is shining" may be written spontaneously, but give people the opportunity not only the opportunity to themselves recognize little blessings throughout the day, but to share these thoughts of gratitude with others. Essentially, although these lines might be composed a bit flippantly, they give people the chance to reflect and see the graces of God manifested in the daily nitty-gritty. And in addition to these purposefully optimistic statements, there is also the opportunity to produce humorous and witty lines, which in themselves can bring a chuckle and a smile to friend.

Sure, there is an equal opportunity to use the status feature to vent about the mishaps of the day and the trials of the moment. But even these can point beyond the frustration of the moment - why, after all, do we post things like "having a bad day?" Because, through the medium of online social networking, we recognize the necessity and beauty of human community. I would propose that most of us don't post such statuses to hear ourselves complain, but because we recognize the power and gift of community. We expect that one of our friends halfway across the country might say a prayer for us, sympathize with us, or respond with some words of encouragement. So even more pessimistic status reports help us to experience the daily blessings. The status feature enables us to reflectively recognize the blessings of the moment, small and quirky as they may seem. And this is a beautiful thing.