Two days ago I was angry.
I woke up at my usual time, got dressed and sat with Holy Spirit to talk about the day. I caught up on my reading, sat in a few moments of reflection and prayed. It was a beautiful start to a day. I felt ready for whatever was ahead of me.
Then, as I often do before the kids get up, I made some coffee and jumped on facebook. And it bubbled. Ugh. Sadness turned to frustration and frustration to anger. Friends, we have an opportunity right now in this very moment. We each have a platform and it is up to us how we use it. There is no doubt that this is a trying time for EVERYONE and I believe it is clear to everyone what is happening….
PAUSE. Ok friends, I had a long list of yucky things that I am seeing circulating facebook that I was all ready to call attention to. I don’t complain much-at least I try not to but I couldn’t take it anymore-I was ready to give the facebook world a piece of my mind. I know many of you know what I am talking about without me even having to go into details about some of the stuff we are seeing going around. Even though I knew I had valid points, I couldn’t bring myself to post it and decided to sleep on it.
The next morning I woke up and stumbled upon the scripture in Jonah 4:4-10
“But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint…But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up over night and died overnight.”
We all have things we can complain about and we may even have completely valid points and real zingers that will leave their mark. But that is not what God is calling us to do. Facebook can be a beautiful platform for the love of God to be shared-we have been given the opportunity to use it wisely. But everyone has been given the same opportunity and many don’t use it to highlight the good in this world often becoming the worm without even realizing it. But regardless of what we see, we have a choice in how we respond. If I decided to post my frustration, wouldn’t that make me just another voice in the crowd when God calls us to stand out from the crowd? So I wonder, how do we respond when the world makes us angry? We tend to the plant. We care for the plant. We water it and help it to grow. But it is not our job to change the plant. We must leave that up to God. We all have a choice moving forward:highlight the beautiful side of humanity or share the doom and gloom.We all have a choice to seek the stories that are worth sharing. The articles worth reading. We have the choice to be the voice that lifts others up (even the ones who are tearing people down) to perhaps show them a kindness they may never have experienced before. We have a choice in what we post and what we say. It does not mean we have to entertain negativity. It means we love like Jesus and let God take care of the rest
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