This week my eight-year-old nephew Mac harvested his first deer, and then 10 minutes later he harvested the buck of a lifetime. For all of us that participate in our outdoor heritage, you can appreciate how rare and exciting this was for him and all of us that were able to share the experience. After proudly posting a few pictures on social media, we were met with many congratulatory responses as well as a few that resorted to name calling and one guy that sent me a personal death threat. Here are a few things that I have learned from this experience:
“Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly.” Proverbs 21:21
Beware of tolerance without civility. The definition of civility is formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech, typically associated with respect. Tolerance without civility has become a paradoxical tool for eliminating any opposing view. Religious “tolerance” is used to remove the Bible from schools. Political correctness is used to tear down anyone with an opposing view. And the same guy that sent me a death threat in the name of “Animal Rights” is sitting in an animal skin based leather chair in his profile pic. Our Founding Fathers fought to make sure that we are able to enjoy freedom of speech and a difference in beliefs. Just remember that real tolerance must always be associated with civility.
“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Ephesians 4:29-31
Similar to a boat, each one of us leaves a wake. Every thought, action, word spoken, comment or post on social media creates a wake that follows you everywhere you go. The question is, is your wake promoting an enjoyable experience for those behind you or is it drowning them? Is it building people up or is it tearing them down? Therefore we will not respond to comments that are not intended to build others up. And we will continue to positively challenge people to reconsider what is possible for their life. We want people to rethink what it means to become the best version of themselves. So I challenge you to become aware of the wake that is following you. Are you building people up, or tearing them down? Are you a builder, or a junk man?