Social media is primarily skewed by our own choices. We pick who we follow. We can block or mute those who follow us, who seem to put out objectional content. I’m glad that’s an option.

I do follow some people whose opinions and worldviews are different from mine. I’ve got several reasons for doing that, but mainly because I operate in real life circles that are mostly Christians who are similar to me. Especially since I retired, I’ve got a lot more control over who I associate with. So the on-line community lets me glimpse how others think. It’s a real eye-opener sometimes.

We can scroll past posts that we decide are a waste of time. We may not decide what riles our emotions, but we can choose whether or not to respond.

It’s the same with public media in general. We choose our sources of current events and commentary, although we are at the mercy of life in general as to what events our daily news brings. But that’s not entirely true either. Some news outlets choose to highlight certain stories, while others focus on different events. I try to check in with a variety of perspectives to know what all sides are saying. It’s all my choice.

With all the input from the world flooding my mind, I make sure I’ve also given it a healthy feeding from God’s word. Not only do I enjoy it, but it’s an absolute necessity.

• It reminds me of the Truth in a world filled with confusion
• It strengthens me with courage instead of giving in the messages of fear
• It gives me hope when there is so much despair out there

Time spent in the Scriptures is daily fuel for my spirit. It’s how I know who I am. It’s how I know the Author of this book, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I’ve learned how much He loves me and this crazy world, and that He’s got everything under control, no matter what folks say on social media.

Shalom, Dottie