There
are really only two things that would make me want to “unfriend” people. The first thing is if their comments are
racist. The other is if people speak
negatively about Jesus. Why are these
things the non-negotiables? Simply put,
these are the things that are really close to my heart and would, therefore,
elicit a very strong response from me.
In my mind, if a person does not consider the impact race has had and continues
to have on my life and the negative emotions associated with racism, then they
don’t know ME…at all. Secondly, anyone
who could talk negatively about Jesus …well, that means to me that they don’t
know HIM either!
One
of the biggest issues with the social media landscape is that we post stuff all
“willy nilly” and in our emotions with our unfiltered opinions and then have the
nerve to get mad when people respond negatively. Well, isn’t that why we posted it in the
first place…to get a response? Then comes
the “telling off” of people in cyberspace…most of who are not going to read
your post anyway. Let's be honest, social media is way more than connections and communication.
Why
do people “unfriend” others? Most people “unfriend” because they want to
declutter their social circles. Others “unfriend”
because they get offended. Yet, still
others “unfriend” because they never really knew the person in the first
place. Imagine that…
Sometimes
“unfriending” becomes a major deal and spills over into real life situations
because people take that kind of stuff personally. If you find yourself constantly threatening
to “unfriend” someone, maybe you should take a break from social media, clean
up your friend’s list, or stop accepting everyone’s friend request. When I find myself thinking about deleting
someone from my friend’s list, I have had to check my intention for being on
social media in the first place. Yes, I am
on there for the connections. But my
primary purpose is for ministry and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even when people offend me on social media, I
won’t “unfriend” them because of MY intention.
However, I will take them out of my News Feed. I will always be mindful to guard myself
against the things that cause me to think negatively or are just straight up disturbing
like photos of dead people, abused animals, and a flurry of angry four letter words (none of which are "love").
I am also mindful that people might still see my messages even if I take them out of my News Feed.
The
ultimate goal for Christians is to have a Christ-like mind. That is why I try my best to spend more time
reading my Bible and devotionals than I do reading social media posts. Always be mindful that negative thoughts,
words and images have the power to disturb our peace and influence the rest of
our day. Protect your peace and
reexamine your intention!
Proverbs 4:23
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
for everything you do flows from it.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:7
"For
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound
mind".
Photo from theexaminer.com
No comments:
Post a Comment