Tuesday; December 1

I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I see some positives in being able to post thoughts and information quickly and in a way that gets a message out to a lot of people with minimal effort. Yet, there are also some downsides – one of which is public ridicule. When we put our lives and our opinions out there for the world to see, it is easy for others to take issue with what we think or do. With a few keystrokes someone can publicly confront us when they feel we are in error. While this is easy, it isn’t necessarily correct. While Jesus challenged His disciples to confront those in error, He instructed them to begin the process in private. When Jesus laid out the process of confrontation He noted, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.” (Matthew 18:15). Now, if this was ignored, He went on to describe a process that might lead to public consternation, but the first step was private.
There is a fine line between disagreeing with someone’s opinion and publicly calling them out for their actions. Either way, if we have an issue with someone, let’s give them the courtesy of visiting with them in private before blasting them in public. When we humiliate someone by challenging them in public, they are apt to either become hard-hearted or over-reactive, but when we gently approach someone in private, we just might help them change their ways and become better in the future.

Think About It!

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