Worn-Out

I'm so tired. Tired of all the arguing. Tired of my Facebook feed being littered with hate (on both sides). I am tired of seeing hate speech about Obama, hate-speech about gays, hate-speech about Christians, hate-speech about whites, and hate-speech about blacks. I'm tired of liberal Christians verses conservative Christians; white Christians verses black Christians.

Give me a break, people! Yes, I am a Christian, but that doesn't mean I hate gays. I have quite a few gay friends that can back me up on that.

I am white, but I don't hate blacks. I stand by them. I stand by all people, because every individual has worth.

I am a woman who believes that women are strong and capable, and yet I am not a feminist.

I am a conservative who dislikes what Obama does and stands for in almost every way, and yet I think it is rude and uncalled for to spend your time and energy talking about how awful he is, or making memes on Facebook dedicated to calling him Satan. Do you do that when it comes to your neighbor down the street who believes differently than you do?  I sure hope not.

It's ok to have an opinion. And it's ok if your opinion is different than mine. But please, for the sake of all that is kind and good in the world, stop making your opinion your god. If you claim Christ, then live it. Stop this crap of arguing on social media for "the sake of God". God does not need your memes and arguments. He is utterly capable without your "help". If you want to post something about what you believe, then posts things that are civil and productive; things that will actually help others understand your side of the story.

Christians, post things that explain to non-believers why you believe the way you do. Avoid posting things that attack, mock, or make fun. Non- Christians, post things that will help us Christians understand you better. Contrary to popular belief (and I admit some Christians fail miserably), we love you and we really do want to dialog with you and understand you better. We may not agree, but we'd love to talk. Post things that aid to that, not things that accuse us all of being ignorant, prideful, or hateful.

But please, regardless of where you stand, stop arguing, and accusing, and assuming.

I despise these discussions, and I hate writing this post...but I feel like social media has somehow un-done every bit of kindness, politeness, and understanding we may have ever had as a human species. Social media done right is awesome, but very few people know how to do it right. Instead, we hide behind our brusk words and call it passion. We hide behind that passion to get away with hateful remarks. And we are hurling hateful remarks because there is anger, arrogance and hate in our hearts.

Calm down, Christians. God is in control. He is. He really is. He told us what was coming- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Why do we still seem so surprised?
And He told us how to handle it: love. Not fear. Not anxiety. Not anger. Not fiery words. But love, steadfastness, and perseverance. Gentleness, and humbleness of heart. Loving not just our favorite people, but those that hurt us, cut us, offend us, and yes, even those who attack us and our faith.

Does love mean sitting in a corner, quietly doing nothing. Certainly not! Stand up for what you believe, say what you think, and take action. But do it in the right way. Do it in love.