Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 NIV
I read an article today about the police looking for a woman wanted in a theft. They gave a description of her and showed a picture. Every single one of the comments had something horrible to say about how she looked.
Jessica Simpson, the singer, shared an Instagram picture of her and her 5 year old daughter on an outing to Sephora, the makeup store. Of course her daughter was trying on makeup...what little girl can't wait to play with makeup? Perfect strangers trolled her and said what an awful mother she was because she took her daughter to the makeup store.
This is a familiar story. More often than not, people hide behind usernames and fake profiles just to troll and make nasty comments on things that aren't even their business. Raising children in a technology and social media world required a few rules about using the web. Barring them from using it wasn't the answer, but rather teaching them to use it wisely. Our main rule: if you wouldn't say it or show it to a room full of strangers, don't put it online.
We also taught them that one golden rule: if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. How can we build others up if all we do is say how terrible they are and comment where it's not our business? We should use the internet for good, sharing God's love, acceptance and salvation. The internet is powerful. People can tweet and retweet all day long. Give them kind powerful words to share. Give them hope. Build them up.
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