"...my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer." ~ Psalm 45:1 Our personal lives are the only reality "show" we should ever be concerned about. Every time we turn around there is a new housewife, some new family, or some new headline that has been turned into a new sitcom based on the life of someone else. I guess we use these examples to compare our own lives to others, or to sit back and either express gratitude, or jealousy that our lives don't emulate this or that situation. "Confess your own sins, not that of your neighbor," was a common theme I grew up with. What is it about the pain, or troubles of others, that seem to make for good entertainment? When we discover a family "secret" through the open story line, or even worse, not only does it make for office water fountain fodder, it's expected to be headline material. Growing up we didn't talk about some of the things we see as daily episodes that EVERYONE now talks about. We decided that many of these things would have been deemed embarrassing, or something that a family would deal with privately. You wouldn't hope to "sell your secrets." That was something that people with poor taste would do. Our words, and our actions, are now sound bytes or video moments that can appear anywhere. That's why what we say is so important. God still stirs us to speak out for justice and prompts us from the heart to practice kindness and carry out actions based on love. Our incentives to live out our lives should never be based on an incentive for fame through someone else's pain. Never should we exploit others for personal gain, or to destroy the integrity of others. Our words and actions have consequences. God has created the perfect scenario for the perfect reality (not a show), but life. You were skillfully created to love your neighbor, not to sell them out. Just some personal thoughts. Affirm the reality that God exists in your life by living out that reality in your words and actions. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 Dear Lord, let my life be Yours. Thank you for giving me the words to share, and the ability to act on them. Amen. Comments are closed.
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AuthorRev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." and is a former hospice chaplain and pastor. Archives
February 2024
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