So much information

 

So much information Proverbs 15:1-17

A daily edition of The Wall Street Journal includes more information than the average person had available to them one hundred years ago. That surprised me when I read or heard that some time ago. Having read the paper, though, I can believe it. It speaks to the bombardment of information into our regular lives. One of the consequences of our information age is the bidirectionality of it. That is, we aren't just reading information. We're contributing to it. Everyone has access to distribution. We can all share our voice life never before. I, for example, easily self published a book of devotionals a few years ago. And I've written over a thousand more since. Over two hundred people receive a text message I produce every day. That's not to mention that I video and audio publish my weekly sermons. I also host a podcast. Who knows how many church newsletter articles I've written? Oh, and I update a personal website. You see, I'm part of the information problem! Whether it's online or in person, though, we all have a choice with how we share our voice. And I don't mean the tools with which we share. I mean the attitudes and demeanors we carry. Notice in the Proverbs reading the power of our words and voice. With a soft answer, we can turn away wrath. We can share knowledge and information that brings life to people. But we can also stir anger and contribute to the foolishness around us. Oh, it doesn't take long to see that play out on social media every day. People build careers on the foolish power of their words.  With an over abundance of information available to us, we need more people who will speak and share wisdom. At the same time, maybe we need more restraint in speech to counter the constant animosity. Why antagonize when you can bless? Why share hurtful, demeaning social media posts and spread untrue stories? They only add to our misinformation. So much of our division and hostility stems from the power of our words. That's because we often choose the foolish power over the wise power. Stay blessed...john