Before you share!

Have you ever shared something on your timeline before? It could have been a funny post, an encouraging post, something educational or clips from a message etc. It is very common for us to read or watch something then share, tag, repost or retweet. Before sharing, do you take some time to dissect the content you are about to share?

The post, lyrics, journal, or bible verse we see on our timelines can undoubtedly be the word we need in a season and naturally we share this word to bless others. Inversely, it could also be the best shade you need, to tactfully address that person you are not willing to face head-on.

An example is, I once saw this post directly comparing some Christians to narcissist. Since I was just ranting to a friend about a similar situation, I felt inclined to share this post, but the more I stared at it, the clearer I heard that voice asking me:

1. Why do you want to share this?
2. What do you think was going through the mind of the writer when they composed the post?
3. Isn’t this a rather hasty generalization?
4. Are you sharing this post to indirectly target someone because they did something bad to you?
5. What if there is a new convert that follows you and they see that content and it affects their Christianity?
6. To make matters worse, your actions could have been perceived as narcissistic by someone else, so does this mean the post affects you?

I had to reconsider my stance and admitted that the post was not only intentionally targeting a group of people, but it was petty and unnecessary. Walking up to the person that offended me in church far outweighs sub tweeting & vogue booking—which have been proven to be a sneaky form of cyberbullying.
For me, it is better to address issues head-on instead of posting subtle messages online because these posts end up causing more harm than good.

Matthew 12:36 says every empty word you say, you will give account of. We have seen repercussions manifest in real time with tweets and images posted 10 to 15 years ago haunting people in the present. This means that we should be mindful of everything we share. We need to be careful because we will give account of it on the day of Judgement.

As for the negative posts, discard them before they settle in your spirit. I learnt there is a complex algorithm that monitors our online behaviors from the post we like, share, retweet, even our search history. If you seek sexual contents, you will receive a steady flow of similar contents to keep you occupied online (this explains why and how you end up being online for 4 hours and it feels like 5 minutes). So, I am just encouraging you to be exercise caution with what you digest through social media. Guard your heart Proverbs 4:23

Finally, when you see dog posts, funny memes and comic videos share it too. It’s been a tough pandemic filled 2020 and 2021, so it is nice to make someone laugh. Personally, I love watching silly dog videos

Have a blessed week ahead, and don’t forget to dissect before sharing