Have you ever made a comment on social media not realizing it would blow up in your face? Each attempt after just digs yourself deeper, lighting the fuse of a now obvious bomb? Even removing yourself from the situation doesn’t prevent the explosion, but somehow manages to blow it all up? Wait, you haven’t? Oh, yeah; me either. 

This past week has been a struggle. Actually the last several months have been a struggle. The mouse droppings have been dropped for months, I just didn’t realize There is a Mouse in the House until this past week. The mouse is actually more accessible than ever before. It is on my computer, on the kitchen counter, and most often in my back right pocket. For me the mouse has been using Facebook to drop lies. Lies into my feed. Lies through my friends. Lies that come across kind, informative, and even unbiased. The reality is not all Facebook posts are created equal. 

After taking a hard look into myself I realized the root of many of my Facebook tiffs is pride. 

We all think we are right. 
We all think what we are sharing is important, valuable, and the only option.
We are all struggling to see it from someone else’s point of view. 
We are all trying to hold onto and control our destiny.
We are all trying to show the world our “value” and contribution. 

As I was reading from Genesis 11 this week I came across the story of the Tower of Babel. I remembered hearing this story as a child, but hadn’t taken the time to consider the root of their problem, pride. 

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

As I began to read commentaries, historical perspectives, and listen to sermons on the Tower of Babel I found a John Piper sermon from 2007. He said their aim to build a city and a tower to rise to heaven was an outward expression of two sins: Love of human praise and love of security.

Wow! Are we not doing this on Facebook each day? Like, love, comment, and reshare my post! In this one simple action we are providing a human praise and a sense of security for our/ their value. 

Mulling over this has forced me to take a hard look at myself and my own pride not only in what I post or reshare, but the comments I make on other’s posts. 

• What are the things I am taking credit for that God deserves?
• What are the things I push on others to believe in that is not God ordained? 

We are meant to be unified, with one voice. However when it is not under God’s authority, we hear multiple voices. Covid is scary. Covid is made up to control us. Masks will protect others and is your civic duty. Masks will cause CO2 harm and don’t follow the ways of marxism. Black Lives Matter, white privilege, protests, vaccines, pro-life, pro-choice, Trump, Biden, immigration, same sex marriage, and every single other thing we have multiple voices about. 

I personally have never had my mind changed over a post on social media. I have had personal conversations that have allowed me to expand my viewpoint, but not a social media post. Those have only caused me fear, anger, and depression. I have had these personal conversations then extend to educational content being shared to support the viewpoint after the conversation. 

Because of this I am making some changes and I am hoping you would consider joining me in this. Before I post, share, or comment I am asking myself the following:

1. Is this credible? I am considering the date it was written and who wrote it.
2. Does this spread joy, life, and God’s promises or invoke fear, hate, and depression?
3. Will this cause me and the people around me to want to be a better person? 

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12: 1-2

We have the opportunity to be unified under one voice, God’s voice. So let us throw off all the other things that so easily entangles us. When we fix our eyes on Him everything else changes.