On Mission in Your Conversations Today

Laying it on a little thick, aren't you, God? pic.twitter.com/eneyL28jdT
— Cody Johnston (@drmistercody) November 25, 2014

The author of this tweet is a writer for the humor website Cracked.com, so you have to take his comments with a grain of salt, as they say. His purpose, his mission for tweeting is to get attention and express his "cracked" humor. It brings up a good question for people who profess faith in God, though.

What is your purpose today in your conversations with co-workers, neighbors, and in your Twitter/Facebook/online comments?

When you watch the news of last night, is your response driven by your politics? Are you parroting Fox News or MSNBC (depending on which way you lean) in your political take on the events in Ferguson, MO? Is your mission today to make sure you make your political point?

When you join in on conversations today, are your comments driven by your personal experiences, the point of view formed by the place you were born, your socio-economic status, the color of your skin, or your personal experience of justice and law enforcement? Is your mission today to "represent" yourself and people who are like you?

When you react to startling pictures and videos of protests/riots, are you reacting based on your deep seated emotions, your fears and anxieties, your prejudices or hatred? Is your mission today to express your emotions, to "get it out of your system"?

As you watch the news unfold, has the questions entered your mind:

Do they know Jesus?

Looking at my Directory of the Ministry, a listing of "non-denominational" Christian Churches, I see at least two congregations and an affiliated Bible College within 5 miles of the site of Michael Brown's death.

I wonder if any of those Christians were involved in reaching out to young people in Michael Brown's neighborhood? Were any Christians in that area actively reaching out to people in the Ferguson law enforcement community? Was anyone in those congregations working to promote peacemaking and racial reconciliation in that town?

I don't know the answers to those questions. I certainly hope they were.

The better question is this: Are you making an effort to introduced Jesus and his love into the lives of troubled young people in your community? Are you helping local law enforcement people to know the love of Jesus?

And in your conversations today, will you pause to consider the purpose and mission of your comments?

Lord, help us to make sure our conversations today include a grain of salt and a light at the end of this dark tunnel.

#STL, if you're feeling helpless today, focus on random acts of kindness. There's a good chance the person next to you also feels like crap.
— Aimee Knebel (@AimeeKnebel) November 25, 2014