Well, here we are.
What a bizarre and exhausting two weeks it's been. There's been so much information, and so much of the information has changed drastically in the past few days, even. I don't envy our leaders as they scramble to try to determine how best to respond.
In stark contrast to the dramatic changes in lifestyle, circumstance, and responsibility around me;
my God stays the same. A rock in the middle of a raging, confusing sea. And what a comfort that is to me.
As a Christian,
I have been thinking hard about the way I, myself, should respond in all of this- especially in terms of how I'm using social media and the internet.
I've spent quite a bit of the last week on my phone. I've been reading all the information I can find, and I've used social media to gauge how my friends and family around the country are being affected. Personally, I've got some "natural social distancing" going on. As a stay at home mama with children who are too young to be in school, living in a rural area, I don't get out much in a normal week, so not much has really changed in my own daily routines, but I'm watching. Through my phone, through Facebook and Instagram, through the internet, I'm watching.
Isn't it amazing how connected we all can be through the use of technology? I know that I'm grateful for the ability to talk to people even when we have to be apart. It's such a blessing to be in community in the midst of isolation.
However, all this technology? It's a double edged sword. A quick scroll through Facebook brings up nine different heated arguments, lots of differing information, and a whole slew of uncharitable comments.
It's really too bad, because
as far as community goes, the internet and social media are what we've got right now.
These are the meeting grounds, these are the forums, these are the support groups and the water coolers and the gathering places that we'll be frequenting in the coming weeks.
So as a Christian,
how can I best show love on the internet in such a time as this? Here are a couple of my thoughts.