Chasing Elephants While Refraining From Social Networking

Wow. I am amazed at myself with how truly addicted to Facebook I have become. I sat down at my computer to look up a few things on the internet, and before I even realized what I was doing, I had already taken my computer to Facebook.com, instinctively typed in my login without thought, and was about to start typing in my password before I even realized what I was doing. That is pretty bad. My mind didn't even have to tell me to go sign into Facebook, my body just did it. 

I am glad that I have been talked into giving up the social networking realm for one day a week. Hopefully after getting used to being away from it for a whole day, I can add another day of freedom to that, and so on and so forth. 

 As for today... In place of living out my socialization through artificial means, I have instead watched a few episodes of television on Netflix. I'm not sure trading one evil for another was exactly my plan, but so far today, that is what happened. I am planning on spending some time reading, which I love to do but can never seem to find a lot of time to do it. The book I am currently reading is "Chasing Elephants: Wrestling with the gray areas of life" by Brent Crowe. I happened to open the book while just flipping through it, to a section about none other than, wait for it............ SOCIAL NETWORKING. I must say, I have been run over by the "How more obvious can I make this for you?" truck, driven by none other that the Great I AM himself. 

So this afternoon, I will be reading about social networking, while NOT social networking. :)

A Blog. Use As Intended.

Since I am learning that Facebook is not the place to let your thoughts run wild, even though it appears as though that is what it's for, I am going to let my thoughts run wild here. This is what my blog is for, to release my thoughts and let my mind empty itself.

Speaking of Facebook, that is precisely what this blog is about. I have gotten myself into more trouble from Facebook than I have from all the times in my entire life put together. Facebook started (if my mind serves me correctly) as a place to stay connected between college students. Since then, Facebook has morphed into a creature all it's own.

Facebook is still used to keep friends connected; but things that have changed are things like, those we call "friends" may  not even be people we see in person -- except that one time we met them... four years ago. Then there are those Facebook users who simply stay connected by stalking everyone they are friends with, but never interact. Then still, there are those who use Facebook as a diary, a political campaign, etc.

For myself, I tend to use Facebook as a journal. I wouldn't call it my diary, as I do not typically post about secrets for all to see.


(I usually associate diaries with secret things to write down and keep safe with lock and key; whereas, a journal is just a place to write out your thoughts, or things about your day.)


Even though my intentions may be simply to express my thoughts without intent to say things indirectly to others, I am finding that (presumably BECAUSE it is Facebook) people seem to take everything you say and dissect it, read way too far into it, and assume that every thing is referring to them. 


Because of this, I am finding I have to pause and think before hitting the "post" button. Something I am struggling with is, if it is something that is important to me, then I should be able to post it without others (who are my friends and know who I am as a person) getting offended. The truth is, it apparently doesn't work that way. Recently, I have found myself in a very worshipful mood, which has been so wonderful, and a joy in my life. So, naturally, I suppose my posts have reflected this. Unfortunately, without others knowing my thoughts, and what is going on in my life every second of every day, these things that mean something to me and are important to me, have become somewhat of an issue with others. These things that I say because of things I am learning, or things that mean something to me at that particular moment in time are being taken as me saying them to make a point to others. 


I am here to say, that is not the case! So breathe a sigh of relief. I am in no way saying things in order to make someone feel guilty or feel the need to think the way I do. Granted, in the past, I may have fallen guilty of doing this, but as of late, this is not the case. 


That all being said:


Let this be my disclaimer. I will speak what is on my mind (without intent to offend others, of course). I will post things that mean something to me, and that are important to me. Please do not read too far into things I say and assume I am trying to make a jab at anyone. Please do not assume I am trying to indirectly attack anyone, or correct anyone. If you do not like what I have to say, feel free to tell me. However, please keep it kind. Thank you. :)

Reoccurring Thought

I have been bombarded with a single thought lately that continues to pop up when least expected. 

That thought is that,
               we are all in different places in our walk                      
     with Christ. 


For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to hold other Christians to what the Bible says. I have always wanted to show them when they are doing something that is wrong according to scripture. The truth is, I am just as terrible a sinner as any person, and have no right to be pointing fingers. 


I do know, however, that the Word instructs us to encourage our brothers and sisters in their walk with Christ so that they may grow. 


"As iron sharpens iron,
    so a friend sharpens a friend." -Proverbs 27:17

 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector." -Matthew 18:15-17


"My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins." -James 5:19-20


These verses have in common that we are to be holding each other accountable to our lives as Christians. Some may take it as Christians being judgmental toward one another, but if done in the correct way, it should not come across that way. And there are some who need to understand that not all instruction and encouragement is meant to be judgmental. Having someone to help us see the things we can't always see that we are doing, is beneficial to helping us grow as Christians and strengthen our relationship with Christ. 


Now, is where is gets slightly muddled. While yes, we are to hold each other accountable, we also have to understand that people will not always be in the same place in their walk with Christ as we are. Some may be ahead of you, and some may be behind you, and others will be right where you are. 


"In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable." -Romans 14:5


I think the way to solve what may appears to be mixed signals would be, to go to that fellow Christ follower in private. (There is no need to embarrass them, or yourself. And there is no reason to air their dirty laundry.) And share your heart with them. Share with them openly and honestly, humbly and in gentleness. (And it might be good if you have that sort of authority in that person's life. If you don't, you will most likely be perceived as being judgmental.) 


Secondly, leave it at that. Don't hound the person. They may not yet have the same convictions you do, simply because they may not be in the same place in their walk with God. That does NOT mean they are not as good of a Christian. God's Word tells us we are ALL sinners. We are ALL unworthy of God. But Christ came to save us ALL. We are all equally filthy, but we are all equally blessed with the gift of God's grace. So we should be very careful to not think that we have it all figured out, and that other Christians need to step up their game. Because the truth is, we are all sinful in God's eyes. Sin = death. So we should all take heed of the example that Jesus Christ gave us with his life, and always be forgiving, always be loving. 

By no means am I claiming that this is THE way to approach this sort of thing. In fact, I am here to say, this may be a completely WRONG way to handle this. This is just what I feel God has laid on my heart at the moment, and maybe later on, my "advice" (although I would hardly call it that) will change. By then, I may see what I cannot see now. And I know that I fail OFTEN. But I do know that we seem to have a problem not wanting to step on other's toes, even though we are given instruction to "bring their feet to the fire" so-to-speak. And we also have the problem of thinking everyone needs to be doing things the way a specific person sees fit. 


I think if we simply read the Word of God. Make a daily decision to love God and love others, then the rest will fall into place.