What a Maroon...
I've been struggling with social media lately. As I scroll through my news feed on Facebook I'm seeing lots of things with which I disagree or behaviors that scream "I make poor choices!" And I'm finding it harder and harder to keep my mouth shut in the face of it all.
See, my husband is a pastor. Which means that I, by association, must also be pastor-like in the things I say and do. Lots of eyes and ears are on my choices. When I post something on Facebook I know I have an audience who may be swayed by my words…just as if I said them from the pulpit.
I have decided that this blog is the perfect place to say all the things I've been wanting to say.
1. Christians -- stop talking about guns and gun ownership rights. PLEASE. Did you read ANYTHING Jesus had to say about violence or turning the other cheek or becoming martyrs for the kingdom? Remember the incident in the garden when Peter lopped the ear off the Roman soldier? Jesus didn't high five Peter….he scolded him and then miraculously replaced the soldier's ear. Jesus wasn't looking for an epic battle between Christians and the world. He was looking to love the world into salvation and, if necessary, to nobly die trying. I'm pretty sure your gun obsession is not winning you any converts to the faith.
2. And another thing, Christians, stop talking about how much you respect Fox News or how you think the Tea Party is doing good things for our nation. Your right-wing political obsession is scary. And it is turning people off to the message you SHOULD be talking about, which is Jesus. There is a reason Jesus didn't set himself up as king when he was here. He didn't overthrow the Roman government, even though that's what his early followers expected him to do. And he didn't set that as a challenge for us to do, either.
3. And one more thing, Christians, PLEASE stop worshipping America. Patriotism has its place. I'm glad to be an American, too, but keep it in its proper perspective. This world is not your home…..Heaven is. America wasn't founded by Jesus. The flag wasn't designed by Jesus. The Constitution wasn't written by Jesus. The National Anthem isn't a worship song and neither is America the Beautiful or any other patriotic song.
Now to the rest of the things I want to get off my chest.
4. If you are poor and can't pay your light bill or your water bill or put food on the table for your children, then why the hell are you still smoking cigarettes? You are being played like a fool by the tobacco industry. They've actually written memos about the poor, uneducated people they target with their product because they know the poor and uneducated won't be smart enough or determined enough to quit their addiction to nicotine. And here you are playing right into their plans and making them billions of dollars. All at the expense of your family. So, suck it up and deal with a few weeks of discomfort (maybe even misery) while you quit. When your addiction is over I promise you that there will be a LOT more cash left in your wallet to pay your bills at the end of each month.
5. Similarly, if you can't make ends meet and you routinely have to ask for help or get loans from the local mafia (i.e., Title Loans) then why do you have the latest smart phone? And a data plan? I have a well-paying job and so does my husband and I JUST got my first smart phone a few months ago. And I'm wondering if I should keep it because it is so expensive to keep up the data plan. So, if I can't afford a data plan, then what makes you think you can? If you are currently paying for your food with food stamps or WIC and haven't paid your whole electric bill in six months, what makes you think that you can afford a data plan?
6. And one more thing. Why do your kids all have their own smart phones or tablets or iPods if you can't afford to pay your light bill? My kids don't have those things. I have a couple of reasons for that. First, I don't want to set them up with an expectation that they will always have the best and latest technology without working for it. Someday they will not be living with me and I don't want them sinking into crippling debt trying to keep up the standard of living we have "taught" them to expect. Second, we can't afford to constantly buy our kids the latest and greatest thing that will become obsolete within the year. Regardless of what you see on TV or in movies, it is okay to say "no" to your children's whims and whining.
7. Pregnancy is caused by sex. If you don't know that, you probably shouldn't be having sex. So, don't post updates about how you can't believe you're pregnant and you don't know what you're going to do or how you're going to manage having a baby. YOU are the one who had sex. If you weren't prepared for the possibility of a baby, you probably should have been using more reliable protection. Or maybe not having sex at all until you got your life together. When your "baby daddy" turns out to be a chump, I don't want to read about it on my news feed because I could have told you a long time ago that he would be a chump just based on the kinds of things you posted about your unhealthy "relationship".
So, if you're unhappy with where you are in life, maybe you should scroll through your Facebook history (or Twitter or whatever social media site you use) and you might start to see the pattern I have been seeing. Learn some things about yourself as you read and start making some different choices. The definition of insanity is trying the same things over and over but expecting a different result. If you want some different results, start by trying some different things.
End of rant.
See, my husband is a pastor. Which means that I, by association, must also be pastor-like in the things I say and do. Lots of eyes and ears are on my choices. When I post something on Facebook I know I have an audience who may be swayed by my words…just as if I said them from the pulpit.
I have decided that this blog is the perfect place to say all the things I've been wanting to say.
1. Christians -- stop talking about guns and gun ownership rights. PLEASE. Did you read ANYTHING Jesus had to say about violence or turning the other cheek or becoming martyrs for the kingdom? Remember the incident in the garden when Peter lopped the ear off the Roman soldier? Jesus didn't high five Peter….he scolded him and then miraculously replaced the soldier's ear. Jesus wasn't looking for an epic battle between Christians and the world. He was looking to love the world into salvation and, if necessary, to nobly die trying. I'm pretty sure your gun obsession is not winning you any converts to the faith.
2. And another thing, Christians, stop talking about how much you respect Fox News or how you think the Tea Party is doing good things for our nation. Your right-wing political obsession is scary. And it is turning people off to the message you SHOULD be talking about, which is Jesus. There is a reason Jesus didn't set himself up as king when he was here. He didn't overthrow the Roman government, even though that's what his early followers expected him to do. And he didn't set that as a challenge for us to do, either.
3. And one more thing, Christians, PLEASE stop worshipping America. Patriotism has its place. I'm glad to be an American, too, but keep it in its proper perspective. This world is not your home…..Heaven is. America wasn't founded by Jesus. The flag wasn't designed by Jesus. The Constitution wasn't written by Jesus. The National Anthem isn't a worship song and neither is America the Beautiful or any other patriotic song.
Now to the rest of the things I want to get off my chest.
4. If you are poor and can't pay your light bill or your water bill or put food on the table for your children, then why the hell are you still smoking cigarettes? You are being played like a fool by the tobacco industry. They've actually written memos about the poor, uneducated people they target with their product because they know the poor and uneducated won't be smart enough or determined enough to quit their addiction to nicotine. And here you are playing right into their plans and making them billions of dollars. All at the expense of your family. So, suck it up and deal with a few weeks of discomfort (maybe even misery) while you quit. When your addiction is over I promise you that there will be a LOT more cash left in your wallet to pay your bills at the end of each month.
5. Similarly, if you can't make ends meet and you routinely have to ask for help or get loans from the local mafia (i.e., Title Loans) then why do you have the latest smart phone? And a data plan? I have a well-paying job and so does my husband and I JUST got my first smart phone a few months ago. And I'm wondering if I should keep it because it is so expensive to keep up the data plan. So, if I can't afford a data plan, then what makes you think you can? If you are currently paying for your food with food stamps or WIC and haven't paid your whole electric bill in six months, what makes you think that you can afford a data plan?
6. And one more thing. Why do your kids all have their own smart phones or tablets or iPods if you can't afford to pay your light bill? My kids don't have those things. I have a couple of reasons for that. First, I don't want to set them up with an expectation that they will always have the best and latest technology without working for it. Someday they will not be living with me and I don't want them sinking into crippling debt trying to keep up the standard of living we have "taught" them to expect. Second, we can't afford to constantly buy our kids the latest and greatest thing that will become obsolete within the year. Regardless of what you see on TV or in movies, it is okay to say "no" to your children's whims and whining.
7. Pregnancy is caused by sex. If you don't know that, you probably shouldn't be having sex. So, don't post updates about how you can't believe you're pregnant and you don't know what you're going to do or how you're going to manage having a baby. YOU are the one who had sex. If you weren't prepared for the possibility of a baby, you probably should have been using more reliable protection. Or maybe not having sex at all until you got your life together. When your "baby daddy" turns out to be a chump, I don't want to read about it on my news feed because I could have told you a long time ago that he would be a chump just based on the kinds of things you posted about your unhealthy "relationship".
So, if you're unhappy with where you are in life, maybe you should scroll through your Facebook history (or Twitter or whatever social media site you use) and you might start to see the pattern I have been seeing. Learn some things about yourself as you read and start making some different choices. The definition of insanity is trying the same things over and over but expecting a different result. If you want some different results, start by trying some different things.
End of rant.
Comments