Social Media Commment Section: Smiling Wives & Choosing Cheerfulness

Because I've set a boundary for myself in my activity on social media to contribute nothing but encouragement (hopefully), I choose to not get involved in the comment sections there in what may be considered to be controversial issues. So this is my space for sharing some expounded thoughts on what I see there. 

Over the last few days someone posted this church brochure/hand out and all sorts of people got really upset & typed all the words & made all the declarations.  Much to the surprise of many other people. Such seems to be the atmosphere of social media. 

I'm one of those people who was surprised to see so many people say so many negative things about this brochure.  Mostly it just made me feel sort of sad for those who immediately saw something off-putting about it. But I also sort of understood, in a way. 

I hope you'll follow along and indulge me as I weave together why it seems sad, and also why it also, sort of makes sense. 

Not long ago I was having a discussion with someone about bitterness, and what causes people to become bitter. I suspect it's at least in part, a lot of personal experience with being disappointed, betrayed, disrespected, etc. Regular life stuff, relationships, workplace issues, family issues, etc. that were terribly negative experiences.  I believe these things naturally bring some heavy, painful emotions that can be overwhelming and change the way you think, and cause bitterness. Along with that bitterness, comes the habit of seeing almost everything, whether intentionally negative or not, with a jaundiced eye because of the past personal experiences. Because we all have a story and some of us have way more painful stories than others, this is something that really hit home with me.  A lot of what I see on social media is this kind of heavy, emotionally charged negative stuff. It's that classic "garbage in = garbage out" paradigm. 

By contrast, the Bible tells us one of the fruits of the Spirit that Christians have is that of self-control. Over all things, including our emotions & emotional reactions. We're not to be lead around by our emotions at all. We're supposed to be sober minded (calm, temperate) and thankful and let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. 

It may sound silly or cliche but actively & intentionally engaging in an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness the way the Scriptures teach us, really does radically bless you. A friend online in one of these discussions about the brochure nailed it when she pointed out the importance of "the goodness of cultivating a disposition that is cheerful".  If you've ever been around someone who always seems to be in a good mood, it's likely not because they live a blessed life free from all the garbage. But instead, it's because they've chosen to focus on what builds up and encourages, and that's a blessing and setting a tremendous example. Not only does it bless and set an example for you, but it does the same for everyone around you. These are very, very good things to encourage one another toward.

So what does any of that have to do with this church's handout? Glad you asked 😊 and if you're still reading, thanks for hanging in there. I promise I'm getting to the point. 

A couple of years ago I'd read something online somewhere about Christian attitudes, and one of the questions was something along the lines of "what are you known by" and another was "what do you think defines you?"  

Great questions. Really great questions.

I thought about my own life and how those questions apply. I have just as many heavy, painful stories as others. Far less than some for sure, but way more than others, or so I've been told.  But I certainly don't want to be known by those heavy, painful, emotional events and how bitter they might have made me were it not for God's grace. I definitely don't want to be defined by that because it's not encouraging or helpful to anyone. 

I'd definitely much rather be defined as someone who chose to practice what it looks like to be thankful & cultivating a disposition, a reputation of genuine cheerfulness, and someone that has the peace of Christ ruling in my heart. Because I am thankful, cheerful, filled with peace and hopeful, despite all the awful this life has offered.  More than anything I hope this is what defines me, and ultimately, what I'm known by. 

So... when I saw this church's handout, even before I saw all the commentary, it just made me smile. Because, this is exactly the kind of "list" that sets a great example for all of us to aspire to. 

Despite all else let us all aim to be known as those with:

Smiling Wives, Obedient Children, Loud Singing, Strong Handshakes, Young Marriages, Good Manners, Biblical Preaching & Reverent Worship. 

And to God be all the glory.

Thanks for stopping by and reading.  

I hope you were blessed by what you found here. Please feel free to leave a comment.