Skip to main content

“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?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...
Post a Comment
Read more