Man On Fire

In retrospect, I could have used different imagery for the article picture and perhaps even the title but I have always prided Mirror Time on being honest, authentic, and heartfelt. Hopefully this will not be a letdown for all my readers out there. I decided to form this article in a unique way.

Disclaimer: Folks, we have a lot of problems and the antics on social media is not going to help us solve them. I have a healthy prayer life so my faith filled friends won’t need to tell me to head back into my prayer closet. I have a strong support system so I am not some dude in my basement angrily tapping on a keyboard, firing vitriol and hate at random. I am a hard worker so my time spent lamenting the ills of this world can be somewhat infrequent. But I am less than accepting of what I see. In fact, I’m fired up.

“And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12)

Hey Friends,

I turn on the news just like you and there are a lot of things that make me angry. I see news reports that leave my mouth wide open. I even see headlines that make me question where our country is heading. We share those feelings I’m sure.

I tell people early and often that I hold a rare distinction of knowing more than 85% of my social media “friendships” personally. We went to school together. We worked together. We were really good friends. We were close family. The other 15% are online connections for more than 10 years with common interests and occasional visits with each other. I’ve attended their weddings. I’ve cheered them on at their graduations. Anniversaries. Group vacations. Baptisms. You name it. I’m normally pretty proud of that. I feel like I don’t really know some of you.

I know it’s common to threaten to delete or block people but that’s not what I want. What I do want is to understand why it seems that your words seem to sound like someone that I’m not acquainted with. At the end of the day, we’re still supposed to be friends. Why are you at the forefront of so much negativity? Help me understand your process. You can apologize but once the rock leaves your hand, the damage can’t be undone. Nowadays, we win arguments by shouting louder than the other opinion or mock the other idea until they tire of fighting. That’s not a victory.

Do you think about what will happen after you press “Send”?

Do you put yourself in the shoes of the families that are impoverished, or living in dangerous situations daily?

Do you think about your daughter when you see five year old girls getting gunned down in their homes?

Does your son come to mind when you see a little boy sleeping under a blanket of aluminum foil with head lice and very little food to eat?

Do you really believe a world with just people that look like you is better than what we have?

Does women being routinely raped upset you despite the color of their skin or socio-economical situation?

Have you grown comfortable with the belief that social issues you make light of can never happen to you because of the color of your skin?

Do you believe that anyone offering to help you can’t be trusted because of the color of your skin?

Do you realize that supporting public figure(s) who are casual about sexual assault, rape, and misogyny could adversely affect the view the women in your life have for you?

Is your pride that strong that you don’t need to apologize to your “friends” for comments you make online?

When was the last time you took a long hard look at yourself and didn’t like what you found?

 

Honestly, we are all on fire with some issue or grievance that inflames us and feels intense to us. We may have some position we want to vigorously defend. We might be angry. We may secretly crave power because our upbringing left us powerless. We may want to instinctively attack because we lived through constant attacks. We might be scared. We might be disappointed with the trajectory of our world. We might be concerned about country, life, and liberty but…..

Please, friends, don’t let your love grow cold. It’s one of the key traits that separate us from the animals.

Thanks for listening.

 

“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)

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