What's on your mind - to share or not to share?

For the most part, I enjoy my time on social media. I share about my life, my kids, (and now grand kids...am I really that old?) all my precious moments to document and have memory keepsakes.  

Controversial opinions never crossed my lips.  Only the most upbeat of posts make the cut, even if I have to dig deep sometimes to find them through my life trials striving to remain having an attitude of gratitude and give God glory.  The one thing I didn't do was share my opinions on others post.  At least not those tinged with controversy. Too scary. Too fraught with anxiety. Better to steer clear of that black hole at all costs.

Then one day something happened that challenged my willingness to keep quiet.  COVID-19 Pandemic!

I threw caution to the wind and boldly went where I've never gone before. I shared my controversial opinion on social media.  I knew sharing my thoughts would likely have repercussions, but somehow I just hoped they’d be minimal.  I even dared hope that everyone would share their opposing viewpoints politely and respectfully, virtually bow and smile to one another and continue happily through their day.

Social media is the modern world’s equivalent to reading a funny passage in a book or seeing something interesting and immediately wanting to share it with someone.  In other words, we talk out loud to people on social media  the way we would if we were in a room with them.  We share our thoughts, our opinions, our ideas. We share random things that pop into our head. We blow off steam. We vent.  (I actually started this blog to minimize the need to vent.  Having a virtual diary is not exactly the best idea I've had, but I'm trusting God will use this space for His Glory.)  

Yet the price we too often pay for being open on social media is that people who hold different opinions or don’t like what we’re saying have merely to click the unfriend or unfollow button, and we’re history.  It’s both the beauty and the tragedy of social media.  When you’re face-to-face with someone important in your life, you can disagree, maybe even argue, and your relationship will usually survive.  Not so on social media. Say the wrong thing, to the wrong person, at the wrong time, and bye!  

For someone like me, who spends the majority of every day by myself, the need to express my thoughts is often high, so I post on Facebook.  I know I’ve paid the price for doing so, whether I can prove it or not.  The upside to being yourself and sharing your beliefs is that those who agree with you will be attracted to you. Those that don’t won’t.  And that is OK!  None of us are ever going to be everyone’s cup of tea. And trying to do so just makes you dull, and ultimately unhappy.

Your real friends and those who value you won’t walk away just because you say something with which they disagree.

At the end of the day, it comes down to character, a subject on my mind a lot these days.  Don’t shy away from someone because of their political or religious views.   Our differences are what makes life interesting.  Instead, distance yourself when necessary based on character or their behavior.  It’s not the controversial opinions of a person that matter.  It’s what kind of person they are in their heart.  Judge the behavior, not the person.

Having the courage to speak your mind will show you very quickly who belongs in your life and who doesn’t.  And that’s all the matters.  You’re not losing friends. You’re just discovering who your real friends are, and making new ones.

Be who you are, give God glory and let people accept you or not.