The Digital Witness

I can remember when those “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets came out years ago. I was so incredibly excited to wear one: to proudly proclaim that I was a Christian. For a long while, I would get into a sticky situation, and that bracelet would remind me that how I react can most definitely hurt my witness. Unfortunately, like most trends the W.W.J.D. bracelets dissipated in popularity.

Nowadays, I wonder if producing “What Would Jesus WRITE?” stickers to put on computer screens might be a good idea. Is it just me, or are people… meaner… online? It’s as if removing the face-to-face contact and replacing it with a computer screen means you can no longer be held responsible for the words you write. Somehow, many seem to believe that hiding behind a keyboard makes it okay to say whatever they want.

I have seen countless rude and hostile remarks online that have been directed towards specific people. I have also witnessed complete strangers resort to name-calling and hate-spewing, most often over the silliest topics. And somehow we think this is okay! It’s time to change the norm.

The reality is that we are not exempt from the consequences of what we write online. While you may think saying something rude to a complete stranger is okay because no one knows it was you, we know for a FACT there is someone who knows.

Matthew 15:18 says, But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart- that’s what defiles you. I think we can also apply this to the things that come out of our keyboards, too. The fact of the matter is, anonymous or not, those words have the potential to create emotional scars that can last for years and sometimes lifetimes. Christ called us to a higher standard than that.

Maybe you’re reading this going “Oh girl, I know exactly what you’re talking about. So-and-so said something about me two years ago that really hurt me, and I can’t forget it.” Okay, then you understand why it is SO crucial that we start becoming more aware of our own virtual language! Do you think God really wants us to inflict that kind of emotional pain on someone? Do you think we can really get away with saying something mean without it affecting our testimony?

The truth is, whether we say something anonymously or not, God knows and sees it. And He has told us that What you do unto the least of these, you do unto Me, (Matthew 25:40). Or as my mother would say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

So instead of cutting others down online, I want to challenge the body of Christ to live by this verse: Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear [or read!] them. Ephesians 4:29

Who knows, perhaps the good we spread can have an impact on the rest of the digital world.