It's almost comical how social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook have allowed us to reveal our thoughts and feelings for the rest of the world to see. We even get to leave comments filled with our feelings and thoughts about other peoples' feelings and thoughts. Some choose to post the most mundane things as their status, such as what food they just ate, their recent trip to the grocery store, or the fact that they are going to bed and won't be on Facebook any longer to comment on your comments about their status.
Then there are those posts where people let it all hang out. The jilted lover will publicly call out that "two timing loser", letting everyone know just what he did and where they in turn think he should spend the rest of his miserable days (and it's usually in a hot place). On the flip side, there are those who are so deeply in love that every status update includes a tribute to their undying and unwavering devotion to their soul mate, which often looks something like this: "Uggh, I hate math so bad but later I get to hang out with Steven who is sooo great and I love him sooo much and he's the best boyfriend in the whole entire world! I love you Steven!" You did get the fact that she hates math, right?
Have we gotten so wrapped up in revealing our innermost thoughts and feelings via technology that we no longer consider anything sacred or taboo? If you don't update your status for a few days, you'll probably start receiving messages asking you what's wrong since your status hasn't been changed. Do others in the world of internet message boards really need to know everything that makes us angry, sad, happy, or frustrated?
Christians have become notorious for taking their religious agendas to social media venues, often laying out explicit commands for other believers to pass along or else risk the wrath of God, i.e., "I'll bet that 99% of you don't care enough about God to put this as your status..." Since it is the Christmas season, we must always remember to type it as CHRISTmas so that everyone can know that Jesus is the reason for the season, right? How about the fact that a local town won't fly a man made "Christian" flag that I've yet to find described in the Bible at a public memorial, so we now are going to post tirades filled with anger and vitriol on Facebook to justify our righteous indignation? Really?
What do our Facebook posts, blog entries, and tweets really reveal about us? Can you truly determine my heart right now as you read these words? For years reporters and authors could hide behind the pen without having to publicly face the immediate consequences that their writings would bring, but now anyone with a keyboard can snap back with their own words of advice and critique. Does it somehow dilute the tonic now that everyone seems to have an opinion?
I can remember when private matters stayed private, not just because people were hiding something from everyone else but because wisdom required that the rest of the world didn't have to know our business. If you were facing a real dilemma or crisis, you would approach someone you trusted for advice and counsel and their words to you would go no farther than the room in which you met. Conflicts were resolved without residual casualties and relationships were saved without the input of dozens of others who really have no vested interest one way or the other. This isn't to say that chatting on Facebook isn't profitable - Facebok, Twitter, and blogging can and often do occupy a proftable place in our world - but what has gotten lost in the midst of all of this is the value of one-on-one interaction where we have to measure our words carefully because we think through what we want to say before we actually say it. Consider what the Bible says about our ways of communicating:
"Even a fool is considered wise when he keeps silent, discerning when he seals his lips." Proverbs 17:28
"The one who gives an answer before he listens--this is foolishness and disgrace for him." Proverbs 18:13
"A word spoken at the right time is like golden apples on a silver tray. A wise correction to a receptive ear is like a gold ring or an ornament of gold." Proverbs 25:11-12
"A fool gives vent to his anger, but a wise man holds it in check." Proverbs 29:11
"Out of the same mouth (or keyboard) come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way." James 3:10
Would Jesus post on Facebook or send daily tweets from Twitter? He might, but I'm pretty sure the content of His posts would be much different than yours and mine. Even though He publicly called out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day, I'm fairly confident that Jesus wouldn't have tweeted about it in 140 characters or less. There is wisdom to be found in holding your tongue and considering the consequences before the first thing to come to your mind finds its way to your fingers pressed on the keyboard. Jesus spoke truth. That's right, He spoke it, directly to those who needed to hear it. Face to face, not Facebook to Facebook.
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