My mom always told me my mouth would get me in trouble someday and she was so right. There have been times…too many times…that I react and speak instead of take a breath and think. I try limiting my news time. I try staying off of social media more than just a few minutes a day. I try to get out and do something active. I try to end each day with a feeling of accomplishment.
I try.
I don’t always succeed.
Too often I get sucked into the maelstrom that social media has become. I get triggered. I get angry. I get frustrated. I get sad. When those things happen, it’s far too easy to start to respond negatively and that’s when the drag starts…like a weight around my neck, pulling me deeper and deeper into the depths.
That’s not where the light is. That is not what brings me hope. Finding hope today is sometimes like parenting an obstreperous toddler. No matter how tired we are, we have to find something they’ve done to praise them for so they feel encouraged. In this case, it’s us that needs the encouragement. We need to shift the attention to what we are doing right, thank ourselves for do it, and do more of it.
My friends and I talk about the Bible and share scriptures. We text them to each other periodically during the day for encouragement. We share bible studies. We send jokes that make us laugh and eases the tensions in our lives. Having a network with whom you can share life with is invaluable. Find your people…through church or a senior center or the library. Meetup is an app that helps you find likeminded individuals with similar interests.
Go through your friends list on Facebook. Pick five people a week to just send a random note to. Not a meme…but a heartfelt message letting them know you were thinking about them and you wanted to reach out to see how they’re doing. Send more goodness out into the world and it’s bound to catch on eventually.
Flood the world with kindness this week.
Think about what you are sharing with the world before you hit “send”.
Don’t contribute to the divisiveness that’s out there. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Research before you post. Include resources. Make your English teacher proud.
When that meme grabs your eye, think twice…three times before you share. Is it kind, is it true, is it necessary?
Send beautiful things out into the world. Do you really think your rant about the “other guy” is going to change anyone’s mind at this point? I can pretty much guarantee this…it may not change their mind about who to vote for, but it’s sure to make them look at you differently. We’re almost to Election Day. We are coming into the home stretch.
Let’s fill the world with a lot less bitterness and a lot more better-ness. Let’s see if we can put out this dumpster fire and create some beauty. Because…
Kindness Matters
❤️
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Isaiah 1:17 NIV
“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.””
1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
James 1:19-20 NIV
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
1 Peter 4:8 NIV
“The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.”
Proverbs 17:27-28 NIV
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9 NIV