The internet provides us a certain level of anonymity when it comes to the things we say. Through its wide reaching influence, people are able to share their opinions with anyone at the touch of a button. In 160 characters or less, people wind up getting themselves into so much trouble. We share information that should be left alone, and we leave things unsaid that should be shouted from the rooftops.
So what am I going to say about the internet, and more specifically about sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, etc., etc., etc.? Only this:
BE CAREFUL!!!!!!
The internet is a place that is able to be used to spread the Gospel to more places than previously thought. We can encourage brothers and sisters all around the globe with words that will uplift their spirits when they are down, point them to Christ when they are feeling vulnerable, and will give them hope when all hope seems lost.
But the internet is also a place where more relationships have been fractured, more damage to the Gospel has been done, and more sharp-tongued words have been spewed than I think we could ever imagine. So please be careful in what you say. To help you out, let me give you three simple tips that will keep you from posting something on the internet that could damage you, your relationships with others, or the Gospel of Jesus.
1) When you are sharing something from another site, read it carefully. Make sure that the title, or the content doesn't have something offensive in it. I can't tell you how many times brothers and sisters in Christ will post something humorous they found in their newsfeed on Facebook, only to see that the place where it came from had a vulgar word in its title. We need to be very careful, because when we post these things, we are agreeing with everything we post. So please, please, PLEASE be careful when you post.
2) Reread your post in many different tones to see if what you say could be taken the wrong way. If so, and you still feel it needs to be said, then make mention of what you intend your tone to be. This is especially important in the area of friendships. I have seen many a friendship die because someone read an email, a tweet, or a Facebook post with the wrong tone or inflection, making it say something else entirely from what the author wanted to get across. So be careful about how your words could be interpreted.
3) Reread your post to make sure a spelling error isn't causing your relationships or the Gospel any harm. For example, I saw a post from a Christian brother of mine that said, "God does want you live your life in fear! So go ahead an live the life God wants you to live." When I read it, I was shocked, and then realized that he forgot a word...the word "not" between "does" and "want." So I sent him a private message pointing out the issue...and he quickly changed it. I have reread my posts at times and have found misspellings that make my posts vulgar...lol. But a simple read through will help avoid this issue 90% of the time.
There are other things that I could encourage you to do before you post, but these are the top three. So take them to heart, and start using your posts, tweets, emails and videos to bring glory to God and strengthen your relationships!
I'm done meddling now. Back to your day!
Comment below about a time when you took a post, tweet or email the wrong way or someone took something you said in a post, tweet or email the wrong way. And we'll see you on Sunday!
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