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Who are you listening to?

I love when the Lord just stops me. I was getting ready this morning and my mind had gone back to thinking about frustrations about Covid and reading OTHERS frustrations with masks, etc. In all honesty, it's been weighing on my heavily this week. I can't stand conflict, whether it directly affects me or not. 

I DO NOT LIKE CONFLICT. 

My heart races, my hands go ice cold, my face flames hot, and my mind obsesses about the issue at hand.

See why I hate conflict? It is physically frustrating.

Anyway, the latest issue that is forefront in my mind is the mask issue in schools. With the lawsuit brought against the Governor here in IL, a judge ruled that the mask mandate was not something that could be upheld in schools which sent schools in a frenzy. Did they unilaterally ignore everything they've done up until now and remove all masking? Do they make it optional? Do they uphold what they've done? They've had a tough road.

THEN, where MY frustrations came in were with the parents. Whether you were pro or anti mask (and I think you know where I stood), I couldn't stomach the hatred being spewed by even many Christian people I know. Many things I saw were saying that they'd send their kids regardless of the masking rules in their kid's schools. To me that is just wrong. It's be loudly argued that masking is wrong for a ton of reasons, but for a parent to tell their child to defy a direct school order does not sit right with me. To ME, that is exactly why kids are defiant, difficult to teach, and unruly in schools these days anyway. 

Okay, all of that was MY opinion. See?

Know what the Lord reminded me today? And helped me to see through watching an episode of NCIS: New Orleans last night? (See? TV watching IS helpful!)

The episode had a hacker who had accessed the team's private emails and sent snippets of some of the emails to the team members. In sending only pieces of the emails, he'd chosen to send the bad or negative views that team member had about the person the email was sent to. So, Sebastian got an email with information stating that Pride didn't have confidence in his ability, etc.

Facebook does that, too. They show us what they want us to see. 

We don't see the posts of people that we don't often talk to, right? We do see the posts of like-minded people. We do see the posts of causes and organizations we "follow". We do see ads for things sometimes we were just thinking about, right?! (Let's not discuss that!)

BUT THEN IT HAPPENS. 

A hot button issue pops up and the frenzy on social media is spread again. We go from nice posts about whatever our friends are up to and however we can help the causes we support to spewing anger and frustration at each other.

News used to be the medium that we would here just what is happening in the world. Now it is where we here everyone's opinions of WHY it is happening and their opinion on how to stop it.

Social media began as a way to connect us to our friends. But, of late, it's become a way to divide us.

One Facebook friend and I call her that because if I were out and saw her, I'm sure we stop and say hi and shoot the breeze for a moment, but then we'd be on our way. We don't know each other well nor do I see all of her posts like I mentioned above. She posted about how disappointed she was in people behaving badly regarding those that chose to be unmasked. She spoke of how kids were being teased or ignored and told to do so by their parents if they weren't wearing the masks. This shocked me. Several people I'd talked to that day, one a teacher in RPS 205, said that all the kids were kind and no one was giving anyone a hassle about wearing or not wearing a mask. It was business as usual.

So what happened? Was my friend lying? I don't have reason to believe so.

What I believe is that she was only seeing posts by like-minded individuals who support unmasking. So she was getting the information that incited frustration. Then I was shown her post (can't tell you the last time I saw one of her posts) likely to incite frustration on my part.

If you choose CNN, you get liberal news. If you choose FOX, you get conservative. But that's just it. YOU ONLY GET ONE SIDE.

And that was what was wrong with me. I was upset because I was seeing only one side.

In the episode I was watching, later the hacker sent emails to the team the snippets of the conversations that said all of the good things about the person helping the team heal their rifts. Wish the media would do that for us.

I try to stay away from hot button issues. Sometimes I get sucked in like this week. I'm human. But, man, I needed this reminder this morning. And I need to remember that my views are precious to me, but they might not be to someone else. I might be wrong. They might be wrong. But we are not the judges. There is only One. And He has asked us to love one another.

The world is trying to divide us. That is Satan's plan. That is how he wins us over, one by one. I'll admit that sometimes I fall into his traps and have to cry out to the Lord for rescuing. Thank the Lord for His grace! 

Guys, let's not let issues divide us. Let's let the love of Christ unite us instead.

The scripture below is the one that I've clung to this week. Hope it ministers to you, too.

Love in Action

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:9-21)

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