WWJP?

Lately I’ve been considering my social networking time.  There’s a really good reason why we’ve never had video games or cable TV at home.  Addicting.  I’m sorry to say that after all these years I have still been unable to set good boundaries with my personal entertainment, so I’ve found a workaround – don’t have it available.  The few leisure activities I do have are enough to fill endless hours if I allow it.  

One of those activities is checking and posting on FaceBook.  It’s fun and seems harmless enough.  Today I started to wonder though – What Would Jesus Post?  I have an eclectic group of friends (loose term here) on FB.  They are all harmless I believe and I don’t really take an issue with anyone.  If I did, I’d simply “unfriend” them.

Instead, the thought came to mind that as a Christian, I need to be careful of what I say, how I say it, and speak up in love when something is just wrong.  I have a hard time doing this so instead, I just try to ignore a post and wait for others to take its place.  Sometimes this works, sometimes not.  The ones that especially get me are the “Please copy and post to your page if….”  I don’t know who starts these, but I hate to see them coming.  I don’t have a lot of FB friends (83 is minimal compared to most people) but even so, there are some posts that come my way that make me cringe.

If Jesus were alive today would he have time to FB?  Maybe – it would be a great way to get a message out there!  But then again, he was more of a face-to-face kind of guy who took his time really getting to know people and making a real difference in their lives.  But let’s just say for the sake of argument that he has a page out there and has access to mine (he really does anyway, you know??). 

Posts that attack a specific group of people are probably top on my list of “dislike”.  I don’t care what your political beliefs are, and you are certainly entitled to them, just as I am to mine.  But when you take on a whole group of people, nothing really good can come from it.   All Republicans are not alike.  All Democrats are not alike.  All Arabs are not alike.  All Mexicans are not alike.  All Americans are not alike.  Taking it a little further –Not all illegal immigrants are criminals. Not all American citizens are law-abiding.  Not all Christians are Christ-like. 

 

Political rants that attack one party or one candidate are by default ignorant.  Yes- I said it.  Ignorant.  You cannot possibly speak on behalf of an entire group of diverse people.  Unless you are ranting about yourself as a candidate or elected official, you probably don’t know the whole story and while you can and should make informed decisions, labeling people is just wrong.

I don’t know the answer to the Miss America all-time question regarding World Peace.  But I do know that we get further away from it every time we carelessly dash an entire group of people to the rocks without considering who they are as individuals.  I don’t believe Jesus would post comments about the fall of America and blame it on illegal aliens.  I’m pretty sure he also wouldn’t condone the posting of profanity or lewd comments and photos, but I’ll save that topic for another day

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My prayer for today:  Jesus, help me to consider my words, my thoughts and my actions BEFORE I hit the “Comment” button.  Remind me to ask WWJP.  Amen.

Today is the first day of the rest of...

Everyone has heard the phrase - "Today is the first day of the rest of your life".  It's supposed to remind us that each day represents a forward-looking opportunity and reminds us that our yesterdays are history.  Well - there are some days that truly are landmarks of change in our lives.  I had one this week.

Sara married her best friend on Friday night.  We have spent a little more than a year preparing for this day, and even then, the last few hours were packed with last-minute activities.  The wedding was beautiful, so many great friends and family were there, and it truly was a magical evening.

Saturday morning brought the realization that with all the festivities finished, a little reflection might be in order.  Being a great procrastinator, I decided to wait a day and spent Saturday in my own personal rehab mode.  Today I'm ready to consider the future and contemplate what might come next.

The answer:  Nothing comes to mind.  I'm in a short lull -  when the kids return from their honeymoon, they will be packing up and moving to South Carolina.  I think when that happens, maybe the reality that change is in the air will hit.  For now, I'm coasting in neutral.  I think that is okay.  Sometimes we need to just idle and take a 360 view of what surrounds us.  I don't feel pressured to go in one particular direction.  I know that when the time comes, I'll make some decisions that will certainly alter the course I've been on for the past 24 years.  But in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the scenery and appreciate the joy that comes from knowing you did an okay job of raising a pretty great girl!

A Long Time Coming

To my young friends out there- growing up is a life-long process.  It is not something you achieve.  I've learned this lesson many times in the brief weeks of 2011. 

The year started with the sudden death of my oldest brother.  He was a complicated man who appeared to be one way to the public, but had some dark demons that left their marks on those closest to him.  I learned that no matter what we try to tell ourselves, our actions have life-long consequences, whether good or bad, and they always affect others around us. 

Within a week of my brother's death, some really difficult things happened in my spiritual life.  God allowed me to see things up close that challenged me to not just see but to act.  In the company of other grounded Christians, I did take a stand and the price was high.  However, God is so faithful; He gave me courage and strength to get through some difficult days and nights.  I learned that even when you can't see where the road leads, you have to be faithful to follow.

In the midst of that challenge, my health took a tough turn.  A sinus and ear infection invaded my life and for almost 6 weeks, I have been less than myself.  I'm now coming out to the other side and am appreciating the health that I do have and looking forward to enjoying life again.

Last week my future son-in-law took a bad fall and sits now with a fractured tibia, waiting for the doctor's decision regarding surgery or no surgery.  He is dependent on others for the basic things in life.

Through all of this the lesson has been clear- trust and rely on God for your strength and He will not fail you.  Difficult times are certainly going to come.  We don't see them around the corner, but they are there.  Maturity happens when you navigate those difficult times, trusting God to guide your steps.  He will bring new people into your life and may remove others.  In any case, His will is perfect. 

Putting on the armor of faith protects us from the slings and arrows of this world.  I highly recommend that you seek that armor out, polish it up and put it on!  In the end, it will be the protection that never fails you.