…no matter where you find yourself in community with others online, I want to highlight some of the habits that helped establish trust and opened the door to conversations about faith.
Remaining with others through division and standing on the rock of my Redeemer means I honor the Divine Hands that made the person on the other side of the internet from me.
When we interact online, we are faced not just with a choice of what to say, but what is inspiring our words. Emotions help us name our needs as humans, but do we choose to let them rule us or inspire us?
I truly believe that listening to people, trying to understand their points of view, and developing friendships over time is one of the purest ways of reflecting and sharing God’s love.
If I want to build bridges of communication we can both walk across, I need to recognize that my words carry assumptions, and I need to understand what those assumptions are.
What is the right way to respond to public crisis and tragedy? In a world where we have limited resources and little control, especially over events so far away, what should we do? Most importantly, what does God call us to do?
It is time to find common ground. We share a common humanity. It’s time to honor humanity with an honest effort to have comity and peace among all of us.
But what I’m beginning to realize is that recognizing and respecting the way others’ experiences and identities are different from mine is a major part of treating them as valued individuals and loving them as God intends.