It seems like it’s getting harder and harder to decompress nowadays and get away from the craziness that is the news cycle in America.
You don’t need me to tell you that 2020 has been one of the more memorable years of our lives for pretty much all of the wrong reasons. From the COVID outbreak that has affected millions and cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the United States to the political unrest that is seemingly at an all-time high in our country, it’s hard to get away from it all.
And yet I continue to find that the perfect escape from it is our Lord.
It’s been interesting to watch what’s happened in our country this year and try to look at it through the lens of what God is trying to show each of us on an individual basis. One of the things that has stood out to me is that our country needs more people displaying the love of God.
For those who don’t know, my line of work is in sports. I do a radio show on ESPN 102.5 The Game in Nashville from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. CT Monday-Friday and also do some writing for different sites covering mainly football and hockey. One of the things that comes with that is having a pretty consistent presence on social media, specifically Twitter.
I’ve thought for a few years now that Twitter is just an awful place. And many times I still have those thoughts. But one of the things that the Lord has shown me in 2020 is that it doesn’t have to be an awful place for ME.
As I think back at how social media has impacted our lives, it’s honestly getting harder and harder to remember what life was like before it was around. It has totally saturated our society and largely occupied our free time. I often sift through different Facebook memories and realize just how immature I was in my late teens and early 20s. I legitimately may have been the most annoying human being on the planet from 2009-2014.
One thing I’ve tried to do during this pandemic and time of unrest in our country is to use social media as a place that people can see the words of Jesus. It’s nothing special that I’m doing in my own strength. It has nothing to do with my brains or talents (thank goodness for all of us). I just feel like now is the time where people just need to hear from the Word more than ever before.
I look at what people have gone through this year and been exposed to and it’s just sobering. There’s so much division. There’s so much hate. There’s so much fear present today in our world. I can’t really fathom what it would be like to go through all of that without the hope and security of a relationship with Jesus Christ. And yet, many people are doing that right now. What an opportunity we have to point people in the direction of Jesus that have otherwise never known Him or maybe even heard of Him!
I often revert back to the Sermon on the Mount, which I believe is the greatest sermon ever preached in the history of ever. Jesus says in Matthew 6;25-34:
“Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—- you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
What a reminder that no matter what circumstance you are facing in your life, God is still sovereign and he’s still in control. I think we hear people say that all the time and gloss it over without actually taking the time to think about it……but just think about that for a moment. There’s nothing that has happened, is happening or will happen in your life that takes God by surprise.
One of my favorite parts about the passage above is that Jesus illustrates how valuable every single one of us is in the eyes of the Lord. If you’re struggling right now, you have access to a relationship that is above all others. You have access to the creator of the universe. And the best part is that he wants to have a relationship with you as well.
We’re knee deep in a toxic political environment that only figures to get worse as we move closer to November 3rd. If you are a follower of Jesus, regardless of which side of the political spectrum you fall, your allegiance is not of this world. It’s not to this country. Your allegiance is to Jesus Christ.
How much more of a difference could we make for the cause of Christ if we spent half as much time sharing the love of Christ as we did sharing what our political opinions were? My guess is it would make a huge difference.
I’m not saying politics aren’t important and that this country shouldn’t be something you love. It is important and I do love this country. But we should never place either one of those things ahead of our Lord.
It’s so easy to get sucked into the toxic environment that social media platforms can create. But…..what if we didn’t let that happen to us? What if we used it as a way to share God’s word? How much of a difference could that make in our lives and the lives of those we interact with?
There’s only one way to find out. Be that light in a dark, dark place.
The Unshakable Foundation 