An Upset Response to Angry Comments
Okay, I've had enough. For months I've taken what would be frankly considered abusive comments directed at me, deliberately belittling me (that's fair enough) and the God I serve - which hurts far worse.
Because you don't think He's real, because you deny His existence because you don't want to, because He doesn't fit in your little code of right and wrong, because He doesn't do what you want Him to, because you simply "can't see Him", doesn't make it acceptable in the slightest to go mocking Him in public to those who DO believe in Him.
If you had a relationship with Jesus Christ, you would have some idea exactly how much these comments hurt and upset me. But you don't. And I'm sorry - so sorry - for that.
But I'm not forcing God on you. I answer questions when I see a genuine heart for questions, someone who is really searching for answers - not someone who simply wants to deride, mock or leave a trail of hurt in their wake. I preach what the Bible says and try to live as Christ taught. I'm not demanding everyone see or live that way. I might wish you do; I'm not forcing you to. You have free will.
I have the right to express my opinion on my social media. You have the right to express your opinion on yours. You do not have the right to deliberately, and intentionally, try to create hurt to others on my social media.
And I know some of how much He took from sinners before and still. I would die for Him. I will defend Him when and where I can, but I will not respond to pointless mockery any more than I try to create it.
So stop it.
If you can't respect what I'm asking, please leave. Leave my circles, leave my chat, stop talking to me, leave my life.
Second.
Abusive comments to each other.
Today, I've had to deal with a situation because of something I shared on a networking site - something that helped my mother and myself, both struggling with depression and people throwing innocuous Biblical support lifelines at us. Yeah, sometimes that's all that can be said - I get it. I've said it myself, when struggling with helplessness because I can feel their pain, but cannot ease it. It's hard for people to know what to say. Biblical quotes/sayings don't always help. They don't always reach into the inner darkness and hollowness.
Someone disagreed with my post - a very beautiful, dear lady I love and respect as one of my adopted mothers, who has walked through a path of constant pain in her own life and is still fighting victoriously.
Someone very much agreed with it - a sweet friend who has courageously battled her own pain to reach out to others, and is fighting her path to healing.
It ended up as a flame war. The lady is blunt, forceful and has a habit of speaking her mind. The girl is passionate and fiery about what she believes in - and this is a sore point to her.
Both parties settled amicably enough in the end. Other parties got involved.
The girl messaged me, upset and angry about the response she felt she received.
The lady (adopted mother) messaged me in the end, hurt and emotionally crippled by the private messages she had received as a result of this, and has said she will not be getting involved in any more discussions on my social media.
To quote:
"It's okay. Though I cried for a while, it wasn't at all because of what they said. It was because I was so upset about unknowingly possibly hurting others. God knows my heart and it is He that matters. But I will definitely be working on this. I am always open to constructive criticism and I have taken yours to heart!"
This has really hurt me.
I love and respect both of these. I am glad - very glad - they settled amicably. I understand, even, battling opinions getting heated.
What I CANNOT understand, and do NOT tolerate, is the name-calling or character abusing of my friends - EVEN BY MY FRIENDS. What you THINK you see in a person's character may not be what is actually the person's character.
I try to always leave room for second guessing in a person, always giving them a second chance. While it may appear vacillating and weak, you never know a person until you have walked in their shoes.
You cannot think you know a person so well that you can attack them and call them prideful and arrogant. You can gently say they're appearing that way - and if you can't gently say it, shut up until you can. Because otherwise, that's all you appear to be.
And trust me, it's taken me years of trying to bite my temper to get to having a slight right to say this.
But seriously.
Stop.
Right now.
Think about what you're saying and who you're saying it to.
Remember you never know exactly what's behind a person's smile or the pain they've got through to get to where they are.
And bite. Your. Tongue.
Hard, if you must.
Because this really hurts, and there is absolutely no necessity for it.
And if you want to know how badly it's hurting - my spelling in this post is haywire.
Siân
Because you don't think He's real, because you deny His existence because you don't want to, because He doesn't fit in your little code of right and wrong, because He doesn't do what you want Him to, because you simply "can't see Him", doesn't make it acceptable in the slightest to go mocking Him in public to those who DO believe in Him.
If you had a relationship with Jesus Christ, you would have some idea exactly how much these comments hurt and upset me. But you don't. And I'm sorry - so sorry - for that.
But I'm not forcing God on you. I answer questions when I see a genuine heart for questions, someone who is really searching for answers - not someone who simply wants to deride, mock or leave a trail of hurt in their wake. I preach what the Bible says and try to live as Christ taught. I'm not demanding everyone see or live that way. I might wish you do; I'm not forcing you to. You have free will.
I have the right to express my opinion on my social media. You have the right to express your opinion on yours. You do not have the right to deliberately, and intentionally, try to create hurt to others on my social media.
And I know some of how much He took from sinners before and still. I would die for Him. I will defend Him when and where I can, but I will not respond to pointless mockery any more than I try to create it.
So stop it.
If you can't respect what I'm asking, please leave. Leave my circles, leave my chat, stop talking to me, leave my life.
Second.
Abusive comments to each other.
Today, I've had to deal with a situation because of something I shared on a networking site - something that helped my mother and myself, both struggling with depression and people throwing innocuous Biblical support lifelines at us. Yeah, sometimes that's all that can be said - I get it. I've said it myself, when struggling with helplessness because I can feel their pain, but cannot ease it. It's hard for people to know what to say. Biblical quotes/sayings don't always help. They don't always reach into the inner darkness and hollowness.
Someone disagreed with my post - a very beautiful, dear lady I love and respect as one of my adopted mothers, who has walked through a path of constant pain in her own life and is still fighting victoriously.
Someone very much agreed with it - a sweet friend who has courageously battled her own pain to reach out to others, and is fighting her path to healing.
It ended up as a flame war. The lady is blunt, forceful and has a habit of speaking her mind. The girl is passionate and fiery about what she believes in - and this is a sore point to her.
Both parties settled amicably enough in the end. Other parties got involved.
The girl messaged me, upset and angry about the response she felt she received.
The lady (adopted mother) messaged me in the end, hurt and emotionally crippled by the private messages she had received as a result of this, and has said she will not be getting involved in any more discussions on my social media.
To quote:
"It's okay. Though I cried for a while, it wasn't at all because of what they said. It was because I was so upset about unknowingly possibly hurting others. God knows my heart and it is He that matters. But I will definitely be working on this. I am always open to constructive criticism and I have taken yours to heart!"
This has really hurt me.
I love and respect both of these. I am glad - very glad - they settled amicably. I understand, even, battling opinions getting heated.
What I CANNOT understand, and do NOT tolerate, is the name-calling or character abusing of my friends - EVEN BY MY FRIENDS. What you THINK you see in a person's character may not be what is actually the person's character.
I try to always leave room for second guessing in a person, always giving them a second chance. While it may appear vacillating and weak, you never know a person until you have walked in their shoes.
You cannot think you know a person so well that you can attack them and call them prideful and arrogant. You can gently say they're appearing that way - and if you can't gently say it, shut up until you can. Because otherwise, that's all you appear to be.
And trust me, it's taken me years of trying to bite my temper to get to having a slight right to say this.
But seriously.
Stop.
Right now.
Think about what you're saying and who you're saying it to.
Remember you never know exactly what's behind a person's smile or the pain they've got through to get to where they are.
And bite. Your. Tongue.
Hard, if you must.
Because this really hurts, and there is absolutely no necessity for it.
And if you want to know how badly it's hurting - my spelling in this post is haywire.
Siân
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)