Obedience supersedes my rights....

It is Friday and I feel like writing... It's been a bit since my last post... and I've been thinking of "awesome blog posts" (yeah, right) and yet I don't seem to be able to put them into words (so there's no real proof of it!)... But... I guess one of the "consistent" thoughts in my mind has been the following: "Obedience supersedes my freedom of speech"

In this day and age we are becoming all too used to "saying exactly what we think, right in the moment when we think about it" ... With Facebook, Twitter and all the "instant social media" we are all too tempted to just "type away" our thoughts... (And here I am ... you see? doing it again! But bear with me... I've been giving this some thought... at least I've waited a few months to actually say it)... It seems we all have something "too important" to say that will either:

a). Impress everyone
b). Shock everyone
c). Enlighten everyone
d). Get everyone concerned
d). Change someone else's mind


 I do agree that posting things away (and right away) is way too tempting, I've fallen prey to this temptation in more occasions than I care to admit... But I've seen way too many times conflicts arise from our lack of "filtering what we say" (what *I* say).

I think the speed of our fingers has finally caught up with the speed of our tongue... and this "fire from hell" (James 3:6b)  is now at the tip of our fingers as well... burning it all in the name of "I have a right to express myself" ... Do we have a right to express ourselves? Absolutely! (And I praise God for it! I, like all of you, need my space to vent and express my ideas) but does this right nullifies my responsibility to esteem others above myself? I do not think so...

I have been caught up in way too many more than one occasion in uncomfortable circumstances where I've said something that hurt somebody else whether I meant it or not... the tongue is a "world of iniquity that defiles the whole body" (James 3:6a) but now with our phones and computers it is too easy and too quick to  share exactly what we're feeling in the very exact moment we're feeling it, like it is crucial for the world to hear and know exactly what's going on in my head, whatever the consequences, not minding those around us that could be insulted, offended, hurt by our statements or to even get the wrong impression from us (let's admit it... writing things down gives room for a lot of confusion and misunderstandings, the reader in general, will add the tone that he/she thinks in his/her head)... Now... are we going to be able to spare everyone's feelings? Are we always responsible for how people take what we say or how we feel? Of course not... but just setting some filters would be very beneficial... and I am talking for myself! (I've sometimes gone through those filters 'afterwards' and had to delete some of the things I've written, sadly sometimes it's been too late).

And I guess one of the best filters we can use, of course, is from the Word of God:

Philipians 2:1-4 "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."


Not everything we write on Fb or twitter has to be of "supreme relevance" of course, we can be fun or silly... making someone smile is not irrelevant... I'm not even saying anything about "not posting baby pictures" (please! Keep 'em coming!) or "food pictures" (hey! I need to take those!) just making sure that in our "freedom of speech" and right to use "our space" online, we don't forget that there's a world watching us... 

So let's not even accept ideas like: "It's MY timeline" "It's MY wall" "It's MY life" ... if we've been bought for a price... if we are not owners of our very lives... can't we give HIM those other little things? aren't they also His?

My Prayer: Lord, it's me again, Paloma, I pray that this message will be read in the way that I intended for it to sound, in love and not in judgment, for I, myself, am guilty of failing to esteem others better than myself way too many times, forgive me if I said anything that doesn't please you and let Your Word that I shared here produce fruit in my heart and in the hearts of those that read it,  "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14) 

© Paloma K.