Politics. Racial tension. Religion.
You likely have strong feelings about one, if not all, of these issues.
But before jumping into the fray, it’s important to remember what the Lord says in His Word.
In Ecclesiastes 3:7, it says there is “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” (ESV).
Now, does that mean we shouldn’t care about these and other important issues? Does it mean we should bury our head in the sand? Does it mean we should go about our day-to-day as if nothing life-changing is happening? Of course not.
It does mean, however, that it’s important to prayerfully research the topic and ask the Lord how He wants us to get involved. The key to making long-term change is to respond, not react.
Before We Become Involved
Prayer – As believers, we should never underestimate the impact prayer can have. It has the potential to change us, those closest to us—and the world.
Research – While social media does play an important role in 21st century life, it can also ignite the fire, fan the flames, and burn our sanity to the ground. (Okay, so I may have taken the analogy a little too far, but you get the idea.) It’s important to learn from reliable, trusted sources—and not just those that support our point of view. Too much contradictory information can confuse us, but only listening to those who agree with us isn’t the answer either.
Discover – There are many ways to get involved in “hot button” topics. The more we research these issues, the more likely it is we will discover one or two that deeply resonate with us.
Prioritize – Each of us can only keep so many plates spinning at any given time. We must honestly examine our life and see what responsibilities and downtime activities we have to back away from or quit altogether if we’re going to devote a significant amount of time to a new focus.
Trust – When we ask the Lord for wisdom, He promises to give it. We can trust that He will guide our steps.
How to Become Involved
More Prayer – We ought to seek the Lord every step of the way.
There are various levels of commitment required, depending on how involved we want to become …
Comment on posts we agree with and those we don’t. This may require a minimal amount of time—or it could draw us into lengthy, emotional debates. We may even lose friends in the process. It’s important to proceed with caution.
Link to resources we believe would be helpful for our social media friends and followers to investigate. If the discussion gets heated, we have the opportunity to diffuse the situation—or ban certain commenters. Not all those who respond have to agree with us or like the resources we’ve directed them to, but it is important that they be respectful of those whose views are different than theirs.
Write blog posts, articles, and books. The more strongly we feel about a topic, the more important we feel it is, the more likely we are to write or speak about it. We must weigh our current priorities, our long-term goals, and what we believe God is calling us to. Obviously, if we decide to write a book on the topic, it will take far longer than if we write a blog post or an article.
What topics are especially important to you?
How are you getting involved?
I try not to comment on politics especially. For some reason, people feel free to say things on Social media that they wouldn't face to face...
ReplyDeleteWatch the actions of people. That shows their true hearts and what's within them. I watch what politicians and ministers do. If it contradicts what they say, then I know not to believe them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving us a vision for preparing ourselves to get involved, Steph Beth. Prayer and preparation are foundational. Writing and acting on what God has called us to do are so important.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steph, for your well-organized and cautious steps to take before, during and after we respond to hot issues that push our buttons. I agree with you on all counts. First of all, is it better to be silent or to speak. I love how you have put prayer, or discussion with God, as the foremost component of the whole process of dealing with contentious issues.
ReplyDeleteI especially appreciate your saying, “. . . it’s important to prayerfully research the topic and ask the Lord how He wants us to get involved. The key to making long-term change is to respond, not react."