What's Your Online Testimony?

We are able to explore more areas than we have ever explored before online. While online, we can learn about new ministries that are available for us to help. Using Bible study tools online or listening to sermons is definitely another plus.We can reach out to more people to give prayer requests and to pray for people. Reaching people online can be a wonderful thing! I know I have used my phone to text a prayer request a multitude of times!

However, there are times when the age of being online or texting can blow our testimonies. What's the actual definition of "blowing our testimonies"? Personally, my definition is this:  if I say something online or via text that affects someone negatively, then I have blown my testimony.

I think because we are not saying something directly to another individual's face, we lose accountability.  There is safety in the anonymity behind the computer screen or the smartphone. I know there have been times I have "gosstexted". (that's gossip + texting)

I plan to be more diligent to guard from doing that. If someone had found my phone, perhaps what I said would affect how that person views me as a child of God. I do not want that.

I know I have heard others speak of what they have seen on other Christians' facebook pages. How critical some can be in their posts or pictures they post of themselves that are not exactly appropriate.

Recently, my family and another family went on a little field trip. I had been using my phone to film some of the things we were seeing and taking pictures. Several days later, I realized I had not gone through the photos and videos to see which ones were going to be keepers. At the time, this phone was still fairly new to me. I realized there was a lengthy video that I had taken by mistake. I thought I had switched it off but instead had done the opposite. I had a video of a conversation the other mom and I had. I listened to it, because the video was basically of her coat sleeve.  I was trying to remember exactly what all we talked about in that conversation. Turns out, it was a casual and innocent conversation.

But I thought for a minute about how that could have totally gone the other way. What if I had heard myself being really critical of others, or saying something inappropriate, or anything else that could be a stumbling block to others? There definitely are times in my speech, if someone was recording me, I would blow my testimony.

Here is an amazing thing about when we mess up: God forgives us.

We can ask His forgiveness, and those of whom we have affected, and move forward.

Today's devotional from Proverbs 31 ministries brought all of this to mind.