Mar 25, 2020
By Frank Mazza
I am not a fan of social media. I do not have a Facebook account, no SnapChat, no Instagram. There was a time not too long ago that I held a Twitter account. Twitter gives users the ability to create a profile with their actual name and face; or they remain anonymous with a clever “handle” or username. Anonymity is nice if you don’t want any personal information leaked out to the masses; but there are many people who use this veil of separation between themselves and their online persona for personal benefit. Every tweet from a celebrity, athlete, politician or well-known pastor is followed by comments. Thousands of comments. Most are less than cordial. In fact, they are downright mean.
I eventually deleted my Twitter account because I got tired of reading through the endless snarky, angry, self-righteous comments behind even the most uplifting observation or thought. I don’t write this to try and convince anyone that all social media is evil…it’s not. I am not trying to make you feel guilty if you’ve ever hastily posted an emotionally- charged response to someone you don’t agree with. Instead, I write this to encourage people to consider how this type of content might shape how we react to situations in real life.
Recently as part of our focus on church health at Shiloh, our Sabbath School class studied Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Part of the Pulse curriculum is to evaluate how we set expectations and hold each other accountable as believers. What better place to start than to study the ultimate lesson in relationships! One lesson that stuck out to me was the week we studied Matthew 7. Specifically, the first five verses with the title “Jesus Teaches About Criticizing Others.” Here, Jesus tells us that judgment is imminent. The measure we use against others will be applied back to us (v. 2). Are you quick to dismiss other people’s point of view? Do you find yourself becoming quickly frustrated when things don’t go your way? The next verses remind us that personal reflection is essential before attempting to correct someone else. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Perhaps you don’t struggle with social media. Sometimes stress from work, home, or family can push us to living with unresolved frustration. It can be hard to feel valued when it seems no one wants to listen…whether that may be online or in-house. Allow me to encourage you that, while you may not always feel adequate or appreciated, you are most certainly loved by One who is greater than any anonymous tweeter could dream of! Your measuring stick should not be in “upvotes” or “likes”—but rather how effectively you can live the Gospel through word and deed.
Getting back to the Sabbath School lesson, we continued to read and study the Sermon on the Mount. We concluded that God’s expectation for us is love. Not the kind of conditional love that the world offers, but rather pure unconditional love that can only be explained by means of grace. Paul writes in Romans 5: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We don’t deserve it. We didn’t earn it. God gave it to us anyway.
As you go through your day, you may encounter miserable people. Perhaps online, perhaps at work, or even in your own home. You yourself may even be struggling with finding joy and happiness. Remember to continually keep the joy of your salvation at the front of your mind and take the time to celebrate what God has blessed you with!
