Divine Hack for a Cleaner Soul

 I have been enjoying a few months of social media fasting...not 100%...but I have reduced the time I spend on social media by possibly 85 to 90% of what I used to...I know I'm missing quite a bit, but I feel more at ease.  Especially, I am happy I skipped pretty much all of the political stuff going on around election, and post-election time.  

Lately, I've been back, visiting my favorite sites because I want to see how my friends are doing. I also miss reading all the ingenious and endless "tips" and "hacks" that some of these sites have to offer for daily life.  From "how to make your dishwasher shine with vinegar" to "how to declutter your soul in 5 easy steps," social media is the king for interesting and sometimes useful practical advice.

My visits have been pretty short and pointed...and, I have to say, very pleasantly surprising, for the most part.  Especially, I am so grateful I ran into a post from a most treasured friend who unknowingly challenged me to a huge and certainly most needed change of attitude.  See...she shared a heavenly tip...a divinely inspired "hack" of sorts.  She shared her thoughts on her church's message from last Sunday, and the meditations of her heart really brought it home to me.  She posted a series of questions equally challenging and important, but today, I would like to focus on this one:

"what if, when I start criticizing someone, I prayed for them instead?"

That was brutal to me...

I felt all the weight of conviction when I read this rhetorical, but not so hypothetical question.  Lord have mercy, for I am confessing that the sins of gossiping and bad-mouthing others are deep struggles of my heart and soul.  I mean, it's so easy to fall for these activities, isn't it?  Especially when in company of others who share our affinity for observation.  But, who am I kidding, right? I don't need anyone around me egging me on in order to indulge in the dark vice of tearing others apart in my thoughts and/or with my words.

Sigh...

Vicious...yes...I can be vicious.  And even though I know I must stop, and I feel terribly ashamed when I catch myself in the act...I have not been able to fully eliminate this horrid practice.  If I am honest, I have not been praying about it as I should have, either.  I think that is the root of the problem.  I have been thinking this is something I can take care of by myself.  I've been relying on my own puny strength.  And I have been neglecting to surrender this to the foot of the cross.  Praise the Lord, our weaknesses and unfaithfulness do not deter Our Loving God from continuing to guide us toward Him.  In His great mercy, Our Lord has placed in front of my eyes a heavenly "tip," a simple "hack" that could potentially eliminate or at least lessen the instances of gossiping and malicious observations I do on a daily basis:  prayer.

It is crazy how the best solutions are often the simplest ones.  Pray for that person the second I feel tempted to indulge into harshly criticizing...of course...but, I will need the strength of the same power that raised Jesus from among the dead in order to stop myself on my tracks into a litany of criticism of those whom I find at fault...Praise the Lord, that kind of power is actually available to me, and to all of us who are willing to seek Him and surrender to Him.

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. 

Romans 8: 11

May we recognize His Power in us as we surrender our deepest struggles.  May we trust His Loving Hand and Guidance, as we confess our sins.  May we find peace in the arms of the Prince of Peace.  In Christ Our Lord, the Lord of Mercy and Compassion, the One who remains forever Faithful, even in our unfaithfulness.  Amen!