To Tweet or Not to Tweet
As I sit here at my dining room table this morning staring at my computer screen and sipping my Ethiopian pour-over, I can’t help but contemplate the current events in my timeline and the pressure that all of us feel to pick a side on every issue.
Ukraine vs Russia
Roe vs Wade
Trans athletes vs female athletes
Elon Musk vs Twitter
Free Speech vs Disinformation
And then there’s still the reality of navigating racial tensions in this country and what to do about Covid variants and vaccine mandates.
Trying to discern what to say in a time like this is difficult.
But maybe trying to figure what to say is the wrong approach.
Maybe that’s the wrong starting point.
Instead, this is what the Spirit seems to be whispering within me while I stare out the window and drink this cup of coffee.
“Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the way of life that reflects the desire and character of God.”
Talking Too Much
We live in an age of talking points and tweets where everyone has an opinion that they feel like everyone else should know about. We have become quicker to speak than any other generation before us.
And when everyone has something to say, nobody feels heard.
As followers of Jesus and children of our Creator Father — who graciously blesses all kinds of people indiscriminately — we are called to be peacemakers in this world who bless and love all people no matter what.
To bless someone means first and foremost to see them — to notice them, to give them our full attention and to hear them. People feel loved when they feel heard, and anger takes a step towards peace when we pay attention to the angry.
There are many of us who are spending too much time talking to people, talking at people or talking about people instead of listening to people and humbly learning another perspective that might be different from our own (even if it’s one that we accurately disagree with)?
Let’s repent.
There’s already too much noise; let’s not add to it.
The Discipline of Listening
Instead of submitting another tweet or post, let’s pick up the phone and listen to a friend share their heart and their hurt. Instead of turning on the television, let’s allow our own soul to settle down in stillness and silence.
Anger is anti-Christ.
God is love.
People are hurting and desperately need to be heard.
Our own hearts are heavy and desperately need peace.
And so if we truly want to help bring order out of the chaos and to speak life-giving truth in the midst of so much confusion, maybe we need to slow down with what position we are taking or what talking points we want to tweet. Perhaps we need to be quiet for a minute and just take more time to truly listen and process.
After all… we must learn to hear if we ever want to be heard.
