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“Do not post out of emotion.”

A thought by Craig Groeschel (2015-10-27) from his book, #Struggles: Following Jesus in a Selfie-Centered World (p. 212). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Craig gives some very good advice for those of us who spend a lot of time on Social Media and this is another good one.  Emotion and texting can be a problem, don’t you think?

Here is what Craig says, “When you think about it, the ability to say whatever you’re thinking to a large group of semi-interested people is pretty scary, which is a good reason never to post when you’re feeling angry, upset, rejected, or offended or are battling any other unsettling emotion. If you’re wondering whether you are responding out of emotion, remember this: when in doubt, wait it out.”

He continues,” As a rule, I never, ever post when I’m overly emotional. Never. I have the discipline not to defend myself or get into unnecessary online controversy. For years I’ve avoided responding to critics or posting out of emotion. Recently, though, I was milliseconds away from breaking my longstanding rule. Our local newspaper took an unfortunate shot at a local professional athlete who also happens to be a friend of mine. Within minutes, it seemed like the majority of our city was in an uproar, leaping to social media to vent their frustrations. Like many, I was angry and hurt on behalf of my friend, who has been a tremendous blessing to our city. So in a fit of righteous anger, I typed out a harsh tweet to defend him. Thankfully, by the grace of God, I hesitated just long enough to think, ‘Should I post this?’ At least 99.5 percent of me wanted to let it fly. But since I was not 100 percent sure, I submitted to my default rule: when in doubt, wait it out.”

He then says, “I am so thankful that I didn’t take a shot at our local media. They have been really fair in their reporting about our church and are often generous. Whatever I said wouldn’t have changed what they had already said about my friend. And within time, the writer apologized for his sloppy comment. The management of the publication also seemed genuinely sorry and embarrassed. The entire controversy blew over in a few days. Had I posted, I might have felt better in the moment, but it wouldn’t have helped anyone. I know I’ve made more than my share of mistakes, so I’m glad that instead of shooting at someone in that moment, I managed to stay out of the crossfire.”

He finishes this thought by saying, “Without a doubt, you will be tempted to post when you’re agitated or hurt. But when in doubt, wait it out. Post only out of love.”


That is good, so very good.  So are there things that you have said that you wished you could have taken back?

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