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Internet 101: Knee Jerk Reactions

“Quick! Grab your pitch forks! Someone posted an article on social media that I don’t like!” 

You can’t scroll through the newsfeed anymore without seeing knee jerk reaction posts…

“I am outraged that this is happening! We must all protest IMMEDIATELY!” 

So I click on the article and it turns out to be a dud. In fact, the article is twisting words to make it read a certain way.

Don’t buy into every piece of click bait on the internet. Take 5 minutes to do a quick search and see if there’s any validity. 

And please, please, please don’t make leaping assumptions about the message behind something or “how it’s poisoning us all” without doing some research.

It’s time to disband social media mobs. 

What is it accomplishing?

Most of the stuff you see smacks of fear and 95% of that fear is unfounded.

Be careful in our world of hyperbole. 

I know it’s not hard to believe that the machine–media and politicians–want us to be in a frenzy. When the people are in a frenzy, they will make rash decisions and allow things to happen that they might not otherwise agree to under normal circumstances.

And, no, this post is not about the Orlando massacre, but the same logic applies. 

What I’m referencing is a social media mob forming over a movie that’s coming out.

Seriously? Take a chill pill. It’s a movie.

If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. There’s no reason to stir up trouble about it.

Don’t blow up the internet with your rage about something that you read in an article. I mean, everything’s true if someone posts it on a website, right? 

Yeah. About that…

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Filter your words

I scrap a lot of posts…

There’s no telling how many times I get to 200 words and hit delete. (Maybe I should start a file of my “Almost got posted” words.)

Here are a few reasons I scrap posts: 

  • I’m thinking too negatively about a subject.
  • It’s just a really silly topic.
  • I’m simply spewing unprocessed emotions.

I started this blog to put into writing the everyday happenings and thoughts of my 25 year old self. 

Of course, my mind always wanders back to you, my reader, because I want these posts to be a source of encouragement to you as well.

Years ago, a friend of mine jokingly said she processes everything through her Jesus filter. 

I know she was joking, but I seriously do process everything through that filter.

What would Jesus say?

What would Jesus post on Facebook?

A lot of heartache would be avoided if we’d only think before speaking (or posting). In fact, just today I said the right thing in the wrong way.

Did you catch that?

It was the right thing to say, but I said it the wrong way, so I ended up needing to apologize to a good friend of mine for not being sensitive to her situation. 

Words are powerful.

Everything you and I say is either building someone up or tearing someone down. 

There is a time and place to share unfiltered words and thoughts–and it’s not on blogs or on Facebook or to any random stranger you meet.

For this reason, self-control is just as much about knowing when to speak as it is about watching what you say. 

 

 

 

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Hello, my name is…

I’m sorry…what’s your name again?

We’ve all forgotten someone’s name before and it happens. 

Do you feel bad when you do?

I want to remember someone’s name because names are important. 

And knowing someone’s name is not about kissing up to men and women “more important” than you. 

We need to know names, to call people by their name, because it’s key to their identity. 

Christine Caine is a teacher and founder of A21, an anti-human trafficking organization. She was abandoned in a hospital, unnamed and unwanted. 

She was assigned a number instead.

This is hard to imagine…

 The first thing the angel told Mary–after “By the way, you’re to be the mother of the Son of God”–was what to name the baby. (We obviously know it’s Jesus, right? Good. I was getting concerned.)


Jesus was and is always available to those who call on His name.

His name…

Above every name,

Powerful over all sickness and disease,

And every scheme of the devil. 

Did I mention that He knows your name, too?

He calls you by name and knows everything about you. 

In an age where you can “know” someone without having to take the time to get to know them, intentionality in our relationships is important. 

What if Jesus only knew us from Facebook or Twitter? 

Oh yeah…I read your posts all the time. Looks like you had a great time at such and such with so and so. 

Thankfully, Jesus knows us and made a way for us to know Him and Father God. 

Loving and knowing others like Jesus loves and knows us requires more depth, more intentionality on our part. 

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Internet 101: Is this my pride talking?

Is social media fueling our pride?

I can’t get this question out of my head. Awareness is one thing, but shameless plugs about our good deeds is another.

What is our motive when sharing things online?

Proverbs 27:2 says:

“Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.”

Jesus said:

3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:3-4).

These are the verses that are influencing my thoughts on this subject.

It’s a toughie….

nothingerasedI grew up as a people pleaser who lived in the shadows, always pushing others into the light. I used to think that’s what it meant to be humble.

And then I came to understand true humility–and it had nothing to do with my misconstrued beliefs about self-worth.

My discomfort now has nothing to do with my self-image. It has everything to do with the question of necessity.

Does everyone need to know that I did this? (Whatever “this” may be)

I have given money, support, and time to plenty of things. Normally, though, I ask to not be included in any online shout outs. There are exceptions, of course, but I will opt out whenever possible.

This post is not my legalistic attempt at being perceived as holy either. (That voice is screaming in my ear right now.)

I want us to have a conversation about this topic. I want to navigate these murky waters with you.

And I can’t ask you to engage in a conversation with me if I can’t be honest first.

Drop me a comment with your thoughts.

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Internet 101: Think before you post

It’s really easy to be mean on the internet.

You can leave a comment or tweet anonymously.

You can post sarcastic memes in an attempt to be clever.

The sky’s the limit in the worst kind of way.

I know that the internet has a lot of good purposes, but that also means it casts shadows as well.

There is–and always will be–two sides: good and evil, right and wrong.

Be on guard as you use social media platforms.

Be on guard as you send emails.

Be on guard as you blog.

There are many days that I could get on here and share all kinds of things. My emotions and feelings can kick into overdrive faster than I realize.

But not everything has to be shared with the world.

Self-control is needed in this area.

My newsfeed on Facebook and Twitter is a mess…

Some things are mean, others are just silly and pointless.

Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to what people will and will not share online.

This oversharing pandemic happens because many of us have never experienced the depth of a tight knit community.

Our culture’s tendency is to walk through life alone, without friends and family there in the crucial moments.

So we get online and start blabbing and blabbing and blabbing.

Or we hide our anger and resentment behind clever statuses and tweets.

This bad cultural trend will lead us down a dark path if we’re not careful.

Beware, my friend, of what you share.

Think before you post.

Get some real, two-dimensional friends who offer support–not just likes and re-tweets.

I am not a hater of technology, but we have to get a grip.

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Sometimes It’s Good to be Unplugged

Imagine being six years old and sitting in the doctor’s office.

Your hearing test was abnormal, so your mom takes you to the doctor.

The doctor comes into the room and goes about the normal procedure: Listens to your heart; checks your eyes, ears, throat, and reflexes; flips through your chart while asking questions.  

He takes a closer look at your ears and says, “Aha! I see a slight blockage in your left ear. We’re going to clean it out, okay?”

A few minutes later the nurse comes into the room with a syringe. The alarm bells start going off because you realize they’re about to give you a shot in the ear…

What to do? Scream, of course, what else is there to do?

The nurses eventually peel you off the ceiling while reassuring you that there is no needle. They’re irrigating your ear because it’s stopped up like a pipe.

This is a true story.

I was that little girl.

Thinking back, the story is actually quite hilarious. However, the situation didn’t seem all that funny back then.

The truth is that most people do not listen.

What?

You didn’t hear me?

Why don’t you try putting down your cell phone? That might help.

Yes, close your laptop. Look me in the eyes.

Act like you are actually listening to what I am saying.

Technology is awesome, but I’m afraid that it is also ruining relationships. This might sound weird, but I wholeheartedly believe that technology can be a waxy buildup at times.

It’s so, so easy to be a lazy communicator when texting can get the job done just the same.

When you opt out of social events to play video games or surf the web.

When you like someone’s status on Facebook, but never talk to them in person.

Does anyone else see a problem?

Sometimes it’s good to be unplugged.

It causes you to pay attention, to really listen.

Don’t get me wrong. I love technology just as much as the next person, but technology CANNOT replace common courtesy, conversation, and personal relationships.