Two evenings ago Shannon and I visited a lovely older couple for a couple of hours. We had great conversation. Talked about all sorts of stuff to include how God is at work. We ended in prayer and then we drove home. As we drove home Shannon says that the visit opened his eyes once again to what mattered in this life. It cut through the junk that seems to accumulate in this fast-paced society. That's the first thing on my mind -- that once again God reminds us that people are what matter: relationships, building relationships; visiting the lonely or the hurting; dispelling loneliness for others (as you hope others will do for you when you're lonely).
And maybe all three things are related.
For the second thing on my mind is that busyness can be an illustration of us sowing in the thorns. In Jeremiah 4:3 God says, "Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns."
Jesus says in Mark 4:19 that thorns are "the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things."
What are we using our time for? There's nothing wrong with entertainment or activity. But have we deceived ourselves into thinking to be important we have to be involved in lots of things? Or, have we believed that to enjoy life we have to be seeking after entertainment? These things can quickly take the place of contentment in Jesus Christ. The world will tell us the busier the life the more important it is. Are we losing who we are in all the stuff we do? Or is the activity fostering relationships with others and God?
The final thing on my mind once again is social media -- the dangers of it. God does use it. I know He does. But we have to guard ourselves against the pitfalls of social media or it will create negative feelings in us about our own lives or families. And this is not from God. A friend and I have each had a similar experience. Individually we read people's posts and saw their pictures of their families and all their accomplishments and all their loving harmony and blessedness (or so it appears). And by doing this we both felt inadequate. We might have even felt we must have done something wrong because our families didn't appear as wonderful as the families we saw and read about online. This is not from God. We aren't to compare ourselves with others. These comparisions aren't based in fact anyway. And comparing one family to another is never a good comparsion. We both quickly knew we were being led down paths that weren't from God.
I think we can help each other and people we "meet" in cyberspace. We should be careful what we share about us, about our kids, about life. And of course it isn't wrong to share how great our kids are doing, but rather than share it with the world maybe we should share it in person or on the phone or in a private message with those we know personally. Maybe sharing personal stuff to put ourselves in a glowy light might be used against others without us knowing it. I think of social media as our own little reality show. Maybe our personal show should point others to God and to blessings in life. Maybe before we share anything we should ask ourselves and God how it will affect those who read it. Just think about it. Pray about it. We have responsibility for what we put out there in the world. Will it help others? Will it lift Jesus Christ up or will it lift us up? Will it cause people to think or cause people to judge themselves or others or even God Himself?