Control Freaks

“Sometimes, there is a lot of darkness in this world. As I see it, you have two choices. You can be a part of that darkness or you can be the light. Be the light.” ~Tom Giaquinto, American author.

It was 5:27 AM the day after New Year’s.  Darkness still enveloped the neighborhood. Except for the very occasional car, our street was quiet to the point of silence.

I could hear the quiet hum of my laptop as I stared at the screen in shock and amazement. My eyes blinked only occasionally in amazement as I sat there in stunned meditation.

Several months earlier I had begun working with a social media guru (and friend) to help increase my “electronic presence.” The plan was to lay the ground work before I published a book and to generate a few more speaking engagements. At the very least it would help me find a job, something I was lacking at the moment.

The result was two websites, a blog, a Facebook page, Google-plus circles, a LinkedIn account and, of course, a Twitter profile. At first it had been interesting and fun, connecting and communicating with people around the globe. But, there was an aspect to it all that I had not anticipated. This dark, quiet morning, I had been made horribly aware of the more serious side of making my electronic presence felt.

I had “tweeted” a comment about accepting God in one’s life. A number of positive comments and “retweets” had bolstered my resolve to Tweet more. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

There on screen, in response to my “God Tweet” was the following statement: “If you believe Jesus was anything but a Jew on a stick, you are simply delusional.”

I typed three different responses, ranging from confrontational to conciliatory, and then promptly deleted each one in turn. My finger hovered over the delete key for only a moment before I sent the offensive tweet into electronic oblivion. I vowed to be more careful in the future.

People often fear what they cannot control, or at the very least, what they can’t explain.  Accepting that there is a supreme Power at work in our lives means, among other things, that we are not in control. Those of us who are people of faith welcome a gracious and loving supreme being. But not everybody does.

Unfortunately those who are unwilling to accept this "higher power," often express their fears through ridicule or derision. Sadly they are like the little boy who quickly passes his hand through the flame of a candle and is proud because he wasn't burned. He doesn't realize the fire could have easily consumed him.

The irony is that the best -- and perhaps the only -- response is to be the best possible example of what it means to be a person of faith. In short, that means we are called to love the offending parties even when they are the most offensive.  One aspect of being a good steward of our faith is loving those who seem the most unlovable. And sometimes, this is someone who is critical of our beliefs.

We are called, not to escalate, but to expiate. We are called to be living witnesses to our faith.

Dear God: Remind me I don’t have to like them; I just have to love them.

“There is trust in there being a Spirit who loves me and wants me to have love in my life. I trust in this higher power, it is what keeps me moving forward no matter what happens.” ~Kenny Loggins, American singer and songwriter (b 1948)

©2012 James E. Carper. All rights reserved.

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