Monday, September 20, 2010
Looking
Milt Stanley links to Jared Wilson:
Yes, it's a cry of "look at me" - but it's not even "at me" - it's at a crafted image of "me."
Nothing is as humbling as genuine human contact - something social media cannot provide. Frankly, that is what I think makes social media so tempting.
But I have hope. Real relationship, once experienced, is not only humbling, addictive. With the humility comes enormous reward - it opens the door for us to truly look at Christ and then we are blinded with beauty.
THis is not only why we need church, but why we need small churches.
Try joining one - you might like it.
This made me think of how there's almost nothing we do today that isn't blogged, Facebooked, or tweeted. When someone in our culture is having a rough time, they tell us online. When they are serving others, they tell us online. And when they are serving others despite having a rough time, they tell us online. There is almost no thought, feeling, inclination, impulse, or attitude we don't share with everyone who will listen.I think this is right on and it set me to thinking about social media a bit more. I tend to defend the media and say the problem is how it is used, not the media itself - but as I watch young people use it, I see something very scary.
[...]
I think my generation has spun the older Me Generation into a sort of "Look at Me" Generation, and now of course the generations after Gen-X are progressively perfecting "Look at me!" into a science. Or an art. I'm not sure why we seem constantly puzzled that someone like Paris Hilton or Spencer and Heidi can be famous for doing nothing when nearly everyone these days thinks everything they do is something, something worthy of comment or props or Likes.
[...]
We only have what it takes if we have what Jesus has. He is worthy. And what I think my generation needs (and what the ones after and before it need, of course) is a fixation on Christ, in whom we find the proper proportions for our feelings and our expression of them. We learn that not every thought or opinion we have is a must-read for the entire universe. We see that the scandalous validation of grace for the unworthy creates healthy honesty and thoughtfulness.
Only this fixation will make the cry of our generation, "Look at him!"
Yes, it's a cry of "look at me" - but it's not even "at me" - it's at a crafted image of "me."
Nothing is as humbling as genuine human contact - something social media cannot provide. Frankly, that is what I think makes social media so tempting.
But I have hope. Real relationship, once experienced, is not only humbling, addictive. With the humility comes enormous reward - it opens the door for us to truly look at Christ and then we are blinded with beauty.
THis is not only why we need church, but why we need small churches.
Try joining one - you might like it.
Technorati Tags:humility, relationship
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator
