Too much noise.
Christian's are too noisy sometimes. We think the noise we cause about certain things is gonna change how things go. We get so caught up in making sure people know our opinions of things like politics, morals, rights etc that we forget to just shut up and love.
We post things on Facebook and don't really think about how that comes across to someone who doesn't share our opinion.
I know I've wounded some. Without intention. Feeling I needed to voice my opinion on a matter and instead of looking like a crusader for a cause I looked like a jerk. I've had to ask for forgiveness and I know I will again. I'm learning to just be silent.
What are we supposed to do? Love God and Love Others. We are to love others. No matter if they call themselves a Christian or don't believe in Christ at all, whether they are gay or straight or whether they believe in pro-life or pro-choice.
Love first and let God handle the rest.
It's so hard for us, we feel we need to get in there and state our cause loud and clear and in the midst of it all we just look noisy and in the noise these people who may not believe the same we do only see judgement and condemnation. They don't see love, they don't see Jesus and it's heartbreaking.
Can we believe what we believe but choose not to inundate Facebook with it? Can we not type that response and just love and pray? Can we be slow to speak?
Many a wounded woman there are that have aborted babies years ago and been tossed aside by the noise we "Christ-followers" throw at them. Jesus gives grace to all and so should we.
We may vote differently than our friends, but do we need to engage in political arguments online? What about a heart to heart over coffee where you can see the heart and understand where your friend is coming from?
Let's slow down. Let's think and pray before we type out words that wound souls. Let's think about who is seeing those posts we share before we do it.
Let's let ourselves be invisible for a bit and let us be known by our actions of love and grace rather than our words.
So let's quiet down and stop the noise and just love. And give grace.
We are all in the same boat, and we all need grace.
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oooh...this is so good! I know I am definitely guilty of this. And, I always cringe when others "shout" their opinions and condemn others on FB. I can see how hurtful and judgmental the words sound even though that isn't at all how they were meant to come across. It's such a hard thing - to distinguish between advocating for something you believe in and hurting others with the words you use. Thanks for this convicting and thought-provoking post!!
ReplyDeleteYes. Just YES.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a saying by St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words." As the old song says, "They will know we are Christians by our love." I am pretty sure the next line in the song is "Not by what we post on Facebook."
ReplyDeleteLOVE this!
ReplyDeleteso so so true. definitely a lot of "keyboard courage" goes on and I have to wonder if we'd ever even consider saying the same things to anyone's face.
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog. This entry was a much needed read, thank you! ❤
ReplyDeleteGonna work on this learning to be silent thing, for md that's going to be a HUGE challenge as naturally I'm pretty opinionated (those that may know me will likely be rolling their eyes reading that statement, lol). I've offended many, I've been offended and reacted quickly and harsh, rather then just being silent... This is my new goal.