NO COMMENT

"It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell."  (James 3:5-6)

People are natural "Commentators", admittedly, I am one who likes to comment.  Whether it be photos, posts, movies, programs, news, whatever can be commented upon.  However, it pays to keep your fingers in control when it comes to comments.  I remember one time when I was engaged in a word war in Friendster (long time ago =D).  It cost us our friendship, but growing up meant rebuilding bridges until finally, the friendship was restored. 

We use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, being the more popular here in the Philippines to vent out their emotions, frustrations, gossips, successes, encouragements, business opportunities and the like.  James tells us that a "careless or wrongly placed word of your mouth can cause a forest fire".  Just imagine the power of your words, you can make or break someone with it.  That is why we need to be careful in what we say, especially online.  We have to realize that posting something online will stay there long after we are gone.  People from all over the World Wide Web will be able to view it and it will say a lot about who you are.  Even emails are widely used to air out our frustrations, however, we must always check what we have written before we let our fingers click Enter, Share or Send, because once you click it, the damage has already been done, you can no longer retrieve or take back whatever you have said.  And sometimes, sorry won't even be enough for the damage you may have caused to their reputation or morale.


So, if you're really in a habit of venting out your frustrations, take a minute to read through what you have TYPED before you send or share anything out to the World Wide Web.  You may have all the right to be frustrated and angry, but, it only takes a spark to create a forest fire.  And we all know how difficult it is to put out forest fires. A better alternative would be to post something productive and encouraging, so that people will always have hope for a better future.  As a result, you build better friendships, stronger alliances and a better online community leading to fruitful interpersonal relationships.


Finally, its better to say:  "NO COMMENT" from time to time, to keep you from saying things you will regret for the rest of your life.

Lord, let not my emotions get the best of me. Instead, let your love be the root of my actions. Let me keep silent in times when I am overcome by anger, and let praises and not curses come out of my mouth.  So that my heart may be filled with your love and understanding and wisdom may guide my ways.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

"Do not let your emotions get ahead of you.  Let wisdom guide your actions." -rcc