WARNING: This blog is about a first-world problem, but it is a problem that can destroy my soul unless I take responsibility for my thoughts, words and actions. It can also lead to the destruction of others if I don’t speak up with gentleness and love for those who are not present to defend themselves.
It’s easy to participate and allow myself to be sucked in to negativity. How about you? Seems pretty harmless, doesn’t it? You bond with a friend or co-worker over a shared dislike for someone else, or dislike for someone else’s words or actions. Texting, apps, social media, emojis and memes make it easier and faster than ever to start and prolong the snark.
How many times have I nodded my head in agreement, even if I don’t agree? How many times have I rolled my eyes? How many times have I ignored comments about someone else, whether I like the intended target or not?
And which is the greater evil - the inactions above or the act of participating in said snippiness? I am guilty of all of it. ALL OF IT. And yet, when I am the recipient, I become indignant and wounded. Really, Shelly? Why? Because I am human. How blind and/or naïve am I to think people DON’T chat about me, text or gossip in person behind my back or accidently right in front of me?
Ignorance is bliss, I suppose, but witnessing your own sin as it pops up in a chat right in front of you can be life-changing if you let it. If you allow it to sink in for a little while, that moment – although painful – can make you a better person. That moment that starts with hurt, anger and guilt can transform into a lifetime of self-reflection, forgiveness and love.
I don’t know why it’s easier to love my neighbor and forgive transgressions when my neighbor is someone I don’t know, but it is. When Christ commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves, He knew it wouldn’t be easy. It sounds simple, but it is for me a complicated journey on a road filled with one step forward and 4,568 steps back.
When I ask God to show me my sin, He often answers that prayer with great speed and incredible clarity (almost like a neon sign with a flashing arrow). I suppose that’s why I don’t offer that particular prayer with any regularity. But the Holy Spirit offers it on my behalf. Romans 8:26 declares, “In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.”
Um, thanks? I mean, Amen! Thank you, Holy Spirit. And as I complete this musing, this song pops into my head and I begin to sing (you’re welcome, by the way, that this is a written post and not an audio or video blog!). “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”