Let me jump right in. We are being played by the media.

This “virtual reality“ we’ve been living in since 2019 has separated us from real people, and we’ve spent way too much time on Facebook and Twitter, allowing the loudest voices to shape our view of current events.

A steady diet of news networks and scroll feeds is enough to send anyone into a downward spiral. What we forget is that sensationalism sells. The angle presented may not actually be a good representation of the full picture; it’s just the one guaranteed to go viral.

Hate, mistrust, and fear have been fueling the fire for too long. And that’s the way they want it.

We need to get back to actual life. Community. Conversations with real people living in the real world. Face to face, where you can see someone’s experience and thoughts are valid even if they don’t fit the narrative you’ve been buying into lately.

As Christians, we also need to stop allowing the media to redefine ethics. Enough is enough. I get my moral code from one place only, and that’s (I can’t think of a relevant source because I was going to say TMZ but I’m not really sure what that is and it might be old. Like me.) the Bible. The Bible is my real answer. You know what’s not my answer? Woke culture. Going along with lies just to make everyone feel good is actually harmful. Truth is not substantiated by opinion or feelings.

GASP!

You guys. We have to love everyone. Yes. Without love, there is no conversation. But if we close our eyes and pretend our country isn’t falling apart and morphing into some alternate reality where holding to Christian values will land us in a jail cell, that’s exactly where we’ll end up. Permanently silenced.

Turn off the “idiot box” (wow, my Grandma was smart) and pick up your Bible. Pick up the phone and talk to your friends. Get outside. Pray. Love and serve people around you. And don’t be afraid to speak the truth. Be afraid not to.

Angela