Prioritize the Noise

We live during an intriguing time in history. There are endless self-proclaimed experts on both sides of every opinion. There are even endless experts on both sides of every fact. Add to this reality that we all have access to make endless declarations for the world to hear and see. I don’t know about you but my life is getting noisy.

One solution is to turn off the noise. I have been tempted weekly to adopt this approach. However, I often find inside the layers of the endless noise that there are people who are hurting and are looking for help. I struggle to turn if off because I will miss those folks. So I thought I would offer a few suggestions on how to prioritize the noise in your life with the goal being a balance between connection and sanity. Here we go.

  1. Decide on what you will speak about. I have decided to stick primarily to Jesus, church, leadership and family. There have been more times than I can count when I have typed up a response to someone on social media or created a blog to deal with an issue. Thankfully I have kept to my decision on what I will speak about. Ask yourself what you want to be known for when you die and let that guide your decision.
  2. Recognize that you won’t win the culture war through social media battles. I would have to think really hard if I know anyone who asks a question on social media who does so with the hope of forming an opinion. If I won’t win the culture war through social media then I refuse to try.
  3. Allow face-to-face interaction to be the primary means whereby you draw opinions about a person. I know it can be tempting to write people off because of what you see on social media. Trust me, we don’t need more excuses to create division in Christ’s body - we have enough already. To date I have always found the person in front of me to be more enjoyable to be around than their social media persona. Get to know the person instead of the person behind the screen.
  4. Give permission for a few to speak into your life. I invite a few who do not profess faith in Christ, a Catholic Priest, a couple Calvinists and a few Wesleyans to speak into my understanding of issues. As a white middle class male I also seek out the thoughts of women, non-whites and people who make more and less than I do. By inviting an intentional few perspectives I am set free from having to open the door to every perspective that comes into my field of view. No one has time for opening every door but ignorance of alternate views is not an option either. 
  5. Find it in your heart and mind to be a genuine ongoing learner. If you haven’t changed your mind about something recently then maybe you will want to take a pulse of your self-awareness. I find my understanding of Christ expanding often. I find that my worldview cannot be contained by the labels society tries to place on me. I find myself growing because of the quality of the people around me. By engaging in intentional learning it will help you know how to prioritize the noise.

There is a great deal more that could or should be spoken. It is my hope that we as Christ-followers can lead the way in social media civility. To that end I pray that the Holy Spirit gives me disciplined fingers that are a reflection of a disciplined mind.