Words

My mind has been absolutely consumed by this the last few days, so I guess that means it's time to write about it.

I mentioned in the Saturday Six that I'd watched the video clip of Martha Stewart's comments toward bloggers - comments that garnered quite a wave of, well, hateful comments from the blogging community.

I spent a couple of hours one evening just hopping from blog to blog where women vented in open letters to Martha and then dozens of readers chimed in the comment section with vehement approval - of how they'd never support her products again.

I read through the "about me" section for every blogger and most didn't make a profession of faith. I'm not making a judgment call on their faith...simply saying they left no comment about it. But for those who do publicly proclaim they follow the Lord, the tone of the displeasure hurt my heart.

Did they have the right to be ruffled by her comments? Absolutely! Did they have the right to air their disappointment in her apparent position? Of course! It was just in the delivery. Where they could have chosen to speak out of disappointment, they chose instead to speak out of anger.

For those of you who have a blog...or a Facebook account...or a Twitter feed...or any other kind of platform that allows you to speak your mind in such a way that people can hear...do you realize what a privilege that is? Do you realize that even 10-15 years ago, the average person didn't have a way to connect {for free, anyway} with anyone outside the immediate circle of family and friends? Do you realize, when you put words online, that out there somewhere, someone you don't even know...is reading and absorbing?

Do you realize that some of those people don't know the Lord and if you spend any time at all talking about your journey with Him, they're going to sit up and take notice, and every word you say is not only your word, but it's HIS word to them too? That you're representing Him with every keystroke?

I don't write this pretending that I've never messed it up. I know I have. And I'm grateful for the times God rescued me from myself and led me to delete a ranting post before it went live. I'm also grateful for His forgiveness in the moments I did NOT exercise restraint and said hurtful things.

Oh that we would use our filters...read and reread our words to make sure they are soaked in grace.


Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when He judges the world. - 1 Peter 2:12

I know that verse talks about unbelievers, but what if we lived just as honorably among our fellow believers?

Praying for God to keep my own words and this little blog a place that honors Him at all times.