A Note From the Heart

If you participate in any social media like Facebook or Pinterest, you have probably noticed a trend that seems to have become hugely popular. It's called 'e-cards'. These are short sassy little thoughts encapsulated into a brief paragraph to express an idea. Most of them are either sarcastic, biting or crude. However, their popularity has exploded and the majority are posting, re-posting, and pinning them.

When something becomes very popular in mainstream culture, my brain usually tries to figure out the "why" behind the "what", particularly on a spiritual level. So I have spent some time thinking out this particular facet of social media, talked it over with my husband and now it has manifested itself into a blog.
When trying to describe these e-cards, the best word we came up with for a description of their 'humor' was...sophomoric. Look up the word and it is defined as "conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature." That pretty much sums it up. Most of them are sarcastic (which infers pride) and childish.
God's word has a lot to say about our words and how they are connected to our behaviors. Psalm 1 says it this way:
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked,or stand in the way that sinners take or stand in the company of mockers. (NIV). But I think the Message version really drives the point home.
How well God must like you— you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
   you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.(MSG)  Hmmmm, smart mouth college? Sounds like a synonym for sophomoric, doesn't it.

The interesting thing to me is that somehow people believe that posting these e-cards disconnects them from taking complete ownership of the words. This is exactly what our enemy wants. The devil absolutely wants you to disconnect your identity from your behaviors. The truth is exactly in opposition to this. This pervasive behavior is a passive aggressive form of communication, which has become a natural extension of social media. We are creating a generation that is unable to communicate and resolve conflicts face to face, and even worse does not take ownership of what they participate in within cyberspace.
I know this is a bit of a soap box that I have climbed onto. But it strikes a cord with me because I see so many "Christians" behaving like their non-believing counterparts. Our lives should be distinctly different. Otherwise, what is the point at all. Jesus put it this way. "But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart. It's from the heart that we vomit up evil arguments, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, lies, and cussing. That's what pollutes." What comes out of your mouth, is an overflow of what it is in your heart. Even if it is re-posted. Don't pollute your witness.