For Good or For Bad

I don’t know about any of you but, I love technology and all it has to offer, especially Facebook!

The past few months I’ve been privy to watch a friend who is blind get her new guide dog. It has been such an inspiring journey. She has posted the entire process of filling out applications and being accepted down to her travel arrangements. We live on the East coast and she had to go to San Francisco, California to get her dog, Zeb. She trained with him for 3 weeks and now they are home. But I loved her daily updates about everything they did and all the different places she got to visit (from Fisherman’s Warf to museums and so much more) so they could see how he would handle the environment and her. I am so happy to say, “He passed every day with flying colors!” They had a graduation ceremony and she got to meet the family who raised him. Pictures were taken of him and her and posed on her Facebook. Wow!! It was a lot of fun for me to be part of her amazing journey and very encouraging as I watched her trust God with each step. This was most definitely a good use of technology and Facebook.

It would be wonderful if we used all things for the good possibilities they hold, but sad to say, that is not the world we live in.

Over the past 2 or 3 years I’ve been on Facebook (joined because my teenage daughter wanted to be on) I have witnessed too many life scenarios played out for the “not so good”. Friends and family airing dirty laundry, cussing and using such foul language toward one another. Jilted women exposing all for everyone to see and read. People being unfairly and unjustly ridiculed by others…it has been a real circus at times. Personally I have unfriended people because of things like these. Why? Because I feel that a public forum such as Facebook is not the place or way to resolve conflict and it can be very one sided and unfair to say the least.

As Believers we are faced daily with making decisions as to whether or not we are going to use something we have for good or for bad. Take the tongue for instance. It can give life to a discouraged spirit with words of encouragement, or it can injure a spirit with mean and hateful words. We can use our words to lift up or use them the tear down.

When a wrong is done to us, we are faced with the decision to respond in love or respond in our flesh. Love produces that which is good; our flesh produces that which is bad.

I wish I could tell you I always choose that which is good, but I would be lying if I did. But! I have learned over the years to make certain decisions in advance. Take Facebook for instance. I have made the decision that if I can’t write something that will encourage and inspire then I don’t need to respond on other’s posts. I also like to make people laugh or join in on the merriment of others. And I’m very careful about being pulled in controversial topics. This before hand decision has helped me immensely to stay out of others business and not always address things people write on my posts. In other words, I have decided to take the good that Facebook has to offer and stay as far away from the bad as possible.

Bottom line for me—with each passing year no let me rephrase that, with each passing day; I’m learning more and more to try and look for the good in everything and everyone. Have I found this to be easy? No...not always. But the days I mess up still doesn’t stop me from forging on.

Sisters, what choices do you make in life? Do you chose that which is good and full of life, or are you one who for whatever reasons seems to always seek out that which is bad and leads to death?

The Lord tells us in no uncertain terms what is good and what is bad—what gives life and what brings death. And He also makes our choice a “no brainer” by telling us to be wise and choose that which is good and gives life.

So, my dear sisters, what are the things you put your hands to going to be for?



Love & Hugs
Ponnie


Thursday: Maria Guzman is back with great inspiration and encouragement! English & Español