PERSONAL, is capitalized because this is a completely summarized opinion without bringing in any research only thoughts.
Y’all I’ve got a heavy heart. With the world today and how it’s increasingly becoming more terrifying to live in. And we are all wondering whaaaaat is happening.
1- society. We hide behind technology. Our children (can be) babysat or distracted by technology. If I made a dollar for every time my oldest two asked to watch a show or play a game, shoot I wouldn’t need a job. When’s the last time you’ve looked at someone as you are walking around a store or walking outdoors or at the gym? Do you keep your head down and avoid eye contact? Do you hide in a phone or tablet, laptop so on and so forth? People used to go up to other people in Starbucks and ask if they could share a table. Now they panic because all the “tables” are taken. Not seats, those are open! We are building a world where communication isn’t “needed” and where the internet is so deeply disturbing sex trafficking can take place and your child could be a target without knowledge. No thank you. “Screentime is making kids, moody, lazy, and crazy” was an article I’d read once. Um if this is true for kids I think it’s equally true for adults. The last thing I’ll say about society is anxiety is high. And people seem to get anxious if something isn’t happening by the end of a finger snap.
The world is moving at a faster pace. With so many gadgets, apps, and demands, people get anxious if it takes more than 5 minutes if there isn’t a drive-through, and If they can’t get it online.
2-Self Centered. We are so self-involved with an all-about-me attitude that we have forgotten one of the cardinal biblical rules. LOVE your NEIGHBOR as YOURSELF. Y’all this means more than your literal neighbor. It’s literally anyone in your presence. If it’s a friend standing next to you (neighbor). If it’s a coworker (neighbor). The person in front of, or behind you at the grocery store (neighbor). So on and so forth. Love them as YOURSELF. How would you want to be treated? Do something nice for someone just because, with no motive. Meet a new person even if you don’t become lifelong friends they may have something to teach you. Be God Centered, or if you aren’t religious be Others Centered for a while. (PS if I say I’m God Centered know that I am human and I am not perfect so you may not see me acting in a God-centered way sometimes but I hope that’s how you most often see me.)
3- The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Religious or not read Revelations. (Not at bedtime) there is so much bad happening in the world, and people say where is God in all of this? We as a nation used to pray for one nation under God. Have banned him from schools, and we use him loosely in the government more as a formality these days than a heart-felt genuine connection, he is forbidden in many a country to the point you may die. One summer at HUME Christian camp we talked to our campers about how you can’t put Jesus in your pocket with some friends and bring him out to look at with others. Y’all forget a pocket; it seems like the world has buried him underground. So instead of asking where is God in all of this, we should be asking where have we put God in all of this.
Do you love him, do you have faith, have you had it and lost it?
Do you have an actual relationship?
Don’t let your praying knees get lazy. And if you feel like your prayers aren’t working, pray harder. Pray those in the world that have thoughts and plans building towards mass harm, pray they find a friend, pray they get help, pray something goes wrong and they realize they’ve gone down a terrible path. Pray they have people in their life that can intervene. This is a current heavy topic that I picked due to its frequency in our world at the moment. There are so many ways we can pray for these people. But the bottom line we need to shine God’s light otherwise the darkness will be here faster than we know it.