I remember singing this song when I was little…”O be careful little eyes what you see, o be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little eyes what you see”. The verses continued with “ears what you hear”, “hands what you do”, “feet where you go” and finally “o be careful little mouth what you say”. Looking back it seems a little big-brother-esque but the truth is that it is a very gentle admonition that far too many of us have forgotten. God hears, sees and knows how we carry ourselves and what are the true intentions of our hearts. This is a sobering thought!

I have been spending more time than is good for me on social media. I find it incredibly fascinating to hear the differing opinions, points and counterpoints on the wide array of topics that are presented. I can find conversations on everything from the best sushi place in town and who’s ruining Star Wars this year, to play by play rundowns of any sporting event or political move. There’s a lot of fun stuff out there and there’s a lot of frustrating stuff out there but there is one thing that I find disturbing, heart-breaking and even anger inducing…the behavior of the Body of Christ on social media. Please don’t get me wrong, there are many wonderful, thoughtful, challenging, inspiring, courageous things being said by the Bride on these forums. That being said, for every drop of sweet water there are buckets of bitter being poured out and that is where I take umbrage.

In John 13:35 (ESV) Jesus tells us “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”. He calls this a command, not a good idea if you feel like it, but a command “love one another”! He also makes, what I believe is, one of the most important statements of the new testament; “By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” It isn’t by the working of miracles that we’ll be marked as Christ-bearers, in the life of Moses we see where even Pharaoh’s magicians did miraculous things. It isn’t by our wealth or connections, Jesus said that greatness is achieved by being last and becoming the servant of all (Mark 9:35). Our identity is established by how we love each other.

In the current political and social climate of my home country, vitriol seems to be the only common language. Anger is the emotional go-to and understanding has become a forgotten quality. Civil conversation with people who share different opinions feels like it belongs to a different era, some bygone time populated with soda shoppes, lemonade on the back porch with the neighbors and milk delivered in glass bottles. Oh wait! Milk delivered in glass bottles is a thing again!!! Does that mean that tall frosty glasses of lemonade with the neighbors and civil discourse could also return? Yes, undoubtedly, yes. Respectful conversation, reasonable disagreements and dignified communication are possible. My brilliant cousin, Christy, put it beautifully when she said that we shouldn’t be as concerned with being right as we are with being righteous. When my desire is not to prove my point, impress my internet followers or go viral but instead to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with my God, what sort of beautiful treasure might I discover in the people I interact with? That last bit is from Micah 6:8 and I love how the Amplified Bible illuminates this verse:

“He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),
And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?”

Be just! Love and diligently practice kindness and compassion! Walk humbly with your God, setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness! Micah tells us that this is what is good and goes on to say that this isn’t a suggestion or a fine, high-minded ideal. It is a requirement! In John 14, Jesus says multiple times that if we love him we’ll keep his commands or in a less KJV vernacular (the Deb Revised Version, if you will); if you love me, simply do what I ask you to do. When you meet people who have walked in love together you will often discover that their deepest love isn’t expressed in grand gestures but in the sweet day-in-day-out kindnesses that have been learned over the length of their relationship. They know that putting the socks in the hamper or giving a few more minutes to vanquish a gaming foe are intimate expressions of love because it’s simply what has been asked. Jesus is asking us to love Him, wholeheartedly, fully, with every ounce of who we are and then to do the same for those around us.

Over the past few months I have written multiple blog posts, tweets, FB diatribes and I have deleted all of them again and again because they didn’t speak with kindness or humility and there was certainly nothing just about my intentions. I have been quiet, not because I didn’t have anything to say but because I didn’t have anything kind to say. I have been so concerned with my thoughts and opinions that I wasn’t giving room for thoughtful disagreement and milk-bottle era compassion. So now I am finally speaking up, carefully, because I need to be reminded that love is to be my language. I thought maybe you could use this reminder too. I need to remember that even if you aren’t speaking in love, I can respond with kindness. I will have the lemonade waiting on the back porch whenever you are ready.