How a Facebook Hack Renewed My Promise to God

by Ginny Cruz, MPA, PT

It was a night like any other. When the umpteenth TV commercial selling the latest drug came on, I picked up my phone to check Facebook. But instead of seeing familiar faces, a message appeared stating, "We suspended your account." Further investigation revealed that a hacker had attached an Instagram account to my Meta Business Suite and posted content violating Meta's Community Standards. 

My first reaction was shock. How could this happen? Then, my mind raced to find a way to appeal this travesty. If you have never had your account hacked, I hate to be the one to tell you that contacting Meta’s customer service is virtually impossible. There is no contact email, phone number, or chat service. They kindly offer a bunch of useless articles on the topic. However, those articles can only be read by logging into Facebook, which you cannot do when you are suspended. 

If you have never heard it said, hear it now: Your platform for your writing must be built on an email subscriber list, not the whims of social media companies. My experience revealed the wisdom of the subscriber list. Just like that, all my Facebook followers and my ability to reach them vanished. 

Working Through the Stages of Grief

The five stages of grief, developed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, are 1) denial, 2) anger, 3) bargaining, 4) depression, and 5) acceptance. It did not take long for me to progress through each one.

When the notice of suspension appeared, it seemed unreal. I experienced a few minutes of denial that this could happen to me. After some searching to see what had occurred, stage two anger erupted. Who was this hacker person? Why would someone do this? quickly followed by a strong desire to yell, Get a life and leave mine alone!

The bargaining phase led me to cry out to God and beg Him to intervene. Soon afterward, depression reared its ugly head and kept me company for a few weeks. Anger and sadness sat on my shoulders and sowed confusion as I prayed for relief. I could not even share my situation with my friends on Facebook.

Having spent years building a social media following with thousands of writer connections on Facebook, I felt part of me had died. Questions swirled during my prayer time: "How could I rebuild?" "How could I reconnect with all my writing friends? and “Why, oh why, was this happening to me? “I often pondered quitting because I had lost so much, and rebuilding felt overwhelming and deeply unfair.

A Renewal of Purpose

Has God ever allowed you to lose something you loved? Maybe you experienced pain like a part of your body was gone. That is how I felt losing my Facebook account. While it is petty compared to losing a loved one or losing a limb, it was part of me. But in the valley of the shadow of a social media death, with a book launch on the horizon, my spirit finally dragged itself to the stage of acceptance. Despite having professional tech assistance, there was no way to appeal and recover the accounts. They would eventually be removed along with my years of connections and content, like wisps of smoke dissolved in the wind. 

In this dark place of deep sadness and loss, God reminded me of my promise to write for Him. Then and now, my heart was to inspire new mothers to follow Him and build Christian homes for their children. That goal kept me going over the past eighteen years as I worked to build a social media platform and get a book deal. So, despite the frustration of beginning again, I realized quitting was not an option. 

Turning Pain Into Purpose

My choice was either to accept life without a Facebook presence or start over from scratch. Yes, other social media platforms exist, but writers connect on Facebook. My Word Weavers groups were all on there, and quitting that platform felt detrimental to my writing life. 

It became clear that God wanted me to rebuild on top of the ashes. Leaning on His strength, I created another Facebook account and a new baby development support group called Tummy Time Prayers, where I share baby development tips and spiritual encouragement. The old is gone, and the new is born. 

While losing my previous work and online presence still stings, with God's help, I will rebuild bigger and better. I aim to spread the message of Jesus into the hearts of new mothers, hoping they will follow Him and create a God-fearing home for their children. My time will no longer be spent looking backward at what was but moving forward as God leads. 

My life verse continues to be, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV). One day, God may tell me why this happened, but for now, I journey on without knowing. 

You may wonder how the culprit got into my account. My tech adviser thinks he hacked my password because I had not set up two-factor authentication protection. So, I can’t end without asking, “Do you have two-factor authentication set up on all your social media accounts?”

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How a Facebook Hack Renewed My Promise to God from author Ginny Cruz on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Ginny Cruz, MPA, PT is a pediatric physical therapist, early intervention specialist, and award-winning author. Her writing encourages and teaches moms simple and effective ways to help their baby meet developmental milestones. In addition to writing, she enjoys hiking, reading, and camping with her husband. Find out more at ginnycruz.com, Instagram, or Facebook.