I once watched a video on Facebook of a girl doing her makeup. (That's a whole other article in itself, really. Why was I occupying my time with this? I don't know. It was there. I clicked... I don't know. Anyways...) I was shocked at the audacity of one Facebook user who got on and started to rip this girl to shreds. Hiding behind her screen, berating this girl she had probably never even met before. How in the world could this be justified? It doesn't stop there. Watch any video, scroll through any post, and there's a fairly good chance there will be some "haters." Why? We need something to do with our time, maybe. Well, some people post hurtful comments, and some people watch makeup tutorials they'll never use, so to each his own right? Ha.

I saw in the news, maybe through Facebook again (I don't know. It was there. I clicked... This time it really was for valid, useful information... Anyways...), that after the election, various colleges were cancelling classes to allow for unhappy students to grieve. Tests put on hold. College tests put on hold. Because, well, it may have been a little hard for some students to muster up enough strength to get out of bed and come take 'em. Huh. I understand - I'm trying to understand - I really am. But, you know, I tell the kids I work with at daycare that "sometimes, we just got to do stuff we don't want to do." I tell the kids I work with at daycare. Kids under the age of 6 are learning this. Anyways... Offense is all around us. I especially see it when there are disagreements (whether they're done on Facebook or in real life). I don't when or how this flip was switched, but I thought I'd make sure you knew that now, if someone disagrees with you, they actually hate you. Huh?

I may be alone in thinking this, but I don't want my generation to be stereotyped as "hyper-sensitive." I don't want to be the recipient of only sugar-coated news and criticism. At the same time, though, I also don't want us to be labeled as "judgmental." I don't want myself or others to be at the brunt of hurtful comments and uncalled-for rebukes on microscopic details of our lives. But here we go with my opinion: we don't have to embrace either label. I see us struggling to choose between turning a blind eye to spare feelings and putting up our dukes to fight, when in reality, love promotes neither. When I read of Jesus' time on Earth, I see Him laying it all out: unfiltered, no sugar added. "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" (Matthew 6:21 NIV). "Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep" (Luke 6:29). "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46). He didn't skirt around the truth. You're following Him or you aren't. It was dire that He get that across to people, so no words could be minced. Done in love, His goal was accomplished with those that, still to this day, decide to accept His gift and message.

At the same time, I see the love that drove Jesus to accept people as they were, free from judgment and rebuke. It was just the people that to society's standards deserved it, that He established relationships with. It was the tax-collectors, the prostitutes, and the diseased that He sought out to speak with and heal. Let's break this down: the Savior of the world, the ultimate definition of good and pure, was taking time to build a relationship with these people. In our minds, and probably in the minds of the teachers and elders of the law at that time, Jesus shouldn't have associated Himself with these kinds of people. He needed to tell them off if they were sinning! But I believe Jesus illustrates a beautiful point through His choosing to interact with these people: sometimes it's the people that deserve judgment the most that actually need the most love sent their way.

So, in this day of Facebook and hot-button political issues, let us remember to deliver our opinions in love. If it's something we feel God is using us to say, may we not tip-toe around it. May we be open to the boldness He gives us in effort to turn hearts to Him. All the while, let us keep in mind the position of our attitudes towards others, making sure we are not placing ourselves on a judgmental pedestal. Let's make this 2017 a year of loving others, even when we don't agree. It's not too late for my generation to turn from the hateful Facebook posts and comments. We're not too far soft to be able to deal maturely with disagreements and disappointments. Let it be our generation's prayer to leave a legacy of love for our children to hold onto and build upon. Because after all, we all have opinions, but the opinions that are going to change anything are the ones spoken in love.