2020.
I have a feeling, that's going to become more than just a number. We are already seeing the jokes, references, and absolutely hilarious memes that are the comic relief to what has been a year straight out of the Twilight Zone.
A pandemic, natural disasters, crazy weather (I mean...hurricane remnants in Wisconsin...and a "land hurricane" in Iowa...what?!?), fires, riots, and lies...just to name a few.
As awful as these events have been, there's something else that troubles my heart even more. I mean, we were promised hardship here. This world is broken, so we expect tragedy. Please don't mistake that for callousness though. These types of things deeply grieve my heart every time. But there's something else that is actually more troubling because it has an eternal effect.
Division.
Guys....the enemy is having an absolute field day with the Church. And do you want to know what his most effective platform is?
Social media.
I don't know why people feel like they can say things on those platforms that they wouldn't otherwise voice...but that's exactly what we are seeing and it's sparking an all out ugly war. Social media can be a good thing....but it can also (and unfortunately more often) be a detriment.
We are forgetting something VITAL about communication: the non-verbal part. Tone, inflection, eye contact, and facial expressions are SO incredibly important when communicating with someone- especially someone you may not know very well. (And yes....I realize this blog falls into that category too...but just hear me out.)
Let me ask you this: when reading someone's comments that you know, you hear their voice in your head, right?
Well what about a stranger? You don't know their voice or personality so you naturally tend to read it like you would say it- or how you "assume" they would. (And you know what they say about assuming...) Don't believe me? Pay attention next time you are scrolling Facebook. I bet you'll do it!
So because of that, often times many things get misconstrued, twisted, and blown out of context. That leads to division. And guys, it's running rampant within the Church.
This CANNOT happen.
So how do we change it? Well....WE can't. But HE can.
I love these words penned by King David. He had just committed some pretty horrific sins and knew his heart needed to be renewed.
So he wrote this: "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."
What if we woke up each morning with this being the cry of our hearts? I believe this could radically change the way we approach the circumstances that float our way each day.
Why?
Because we need renewed hearts too. Even though we have Christ, as believers, we still fight the battle with sin every day. And a lot of times, our flesh/sinful nature takes over and we find ourselves the instigators of division.
But if we allow the Holy Spirit to continue to do a work in us, if we beg God for a renewed spirit each day, and that He would be glorified....change will happen.
Friends....this is VITAL. Our WHOLE PURPOSE for being here is to bring glory to our amazing God! As His disciples, it's imperative that we stay on mission every. single. day. We cannot do that on our own.
We NEED Him.
We NEED His transforming grace.
We NEED His power.
We NEED His love.
That is how we can begin to change the narrative. That will help us think before we comment on social media. That will help us put our preferences aside and others first. That will help us to love others- even our enemies. That will help us unite and not divide.
So friends, let's do this together. Let's make Jesus known because of our love for one another. Let's not let the enemy divide us. Let's unite under the transforming and astounding grace of our Savior! THAT will soften the blow of 2020 and whatever else it has for us. :)