The other day a great and trusted writer friend asked me about a “comment tête-à-tête” she found herself in on the good old Internet. She wanted me to read what she had said (in response to a comment on a semi-famous and controversial—i.e. “did he or did he not really say that”) pic she’d posted on her wall. The advice she wanted was, basically paraphrased, something we’ve all wondered more than once on the Information Superhighway:

Should I keep making responses (arguments) because I really feel I’m right?

I told her something that took me years and years and years of bashing my melon against a wall called “ex-wife, Hell-bent on destroying you” to FINALLY learn. I told her I thought it should be one of the High Creeds and Mission Statements of the Internet:

Say your piece, and when you’ve said what you need to say, STOP. Let them have the last word, because they will always grab it anyway, doing everything they can to tear you down, destroying your sanity in the process.

(Well, I’ve had time to work on it a little bit, so it was rougher, what I wrote back to her. But you get the gist.)

Then I went and commented to the hooligan fishsticks on her wall.

Hey, I followed my own rule. I hadn’t yet said my piece.

The responses from these two argumentative, mental goons was so illogical and completely unrelated (honestly, like comparing apples and automobiles) that I did respond once (still limping along on my own advice). Then I stopped, believing full out that I was correct on what the High Creed of the Internet should be, but unfortunately wearing glasses the shade of a well-known type of thorny flower, because the EVER-Creed of the Internet (alongside “Hate anyone who is different”) is:

Non Sequitur is KING.

Wow. All I am going to say about the exchange is this: the “final word” from the most egregiously asinine and mentally-challenged of the two was to argue that hating a person and hating injustice/murder/rape/discrimination/etc. are the same thing from a humanistic point of view (i.e. in an argument about not hating people for their personal choices, this was the response that I was indeed still in favoring of “hating”).

Good Lord. I don’t normally blog religious (and I am not; I believe in God and I believe in our Savior and His Son Jesus Christ because I believe it, and have since I was too young to know why in a non-religious family—I simply choose to NEVER discuss “religion” or God, and politics, because they are infinitely useless sinkholes, for many of the reasons mentioned above). However today, though I still claim it is not religious, I am going to blog about God.

These hooligans were using Christianity to bully my friend off her pulpit (as too many “Christians” do). And they were using completely non sequitur tactics to attempt to smack her around (believe me, she was NOT distracted or confused for a moment—she’s too brilliant—she simply didn’t know if it was worth continuing the good fight—which was the old “I don’t “hate” these people, I simply disagree with a lifestyle “on authority” and you label me a “hater”).

Never mind that the original argument was whether the (purported) author of the posted pic was against “haters”, not those who have an opinion, I saw that “authoritative” comment and knew they were hiding behind the Bible. Ergo, this was my primary response:

Hate because of someone’s personal, sexual orientation IS, by definition, ignorant, unless you can show a documented REASON for it. And you can’t use “religion” as your “reason” because that makes it all the more ignorant; even accepting religion’s view, every religion I know ALSO calls for love, peace, good will, forgiveness, and DECRIES “hate” in ALL its forms. I’d love to hear the “reason” behind HATING someone for their personal choices that anyone would accept as not being ignorant and/or a closed heart.

I then, as stated, was accused of being a supporter of hate because I surely hated injustice, murder, rape, yadda, yadda, yadda, responded that such arguments deserved no response, and (successfully) followed my own advice and never returned to the thread (even though I of course saw there were other responses).

Flash forward. There is a WONDERFUL book I try to read daily. It is entitled Jesus Calling: A 365-Day Journaling Devotional by Sarah Young. For any person who even just enjoys positive motivation—not necessarily a believer in Jesus being the Son of God—it is still a great book (4995 reviews; FULL-5-Stars); for what I call “true, acting Christians”, it is a must-read. Ms. Young is a phenomenal writer, and for each day of the year, she takes several key pieces of Scripture, and combines them into a paraphrased, easy-to-read-and-understand paragraph or two, for daily guidance and contemplation.

I’ve owned the book for several years, in hardcover, and I nary make it through an entire 7-day period without missing at least one day (the irony being if I could pick a Theme, it would be: “don’t become distracted by everyday Life; settle down and focus on what matters, today, and never worry too much about the things you can’t change in the past, tomorrow, and beyond.”). My rule with the book is to (normally) not go backwards any days; if I missed, I still read the “current day”, and I will cycle through the book forever, hopefully knowing it by rote one day.

Thursday, before heading to work, I remember to sit quietly, read the passage, and reflect. As is many times the case, the words were particularly relevant to my current, forthcoming day (and the days prior) and this one, so much so, that I wanted to write it down in my own place for favored quotes, passages of books, etc. I did not have time before I left (Fail!). So today (Saturday) I remembered and went back to copy it. I accidentally started to read Friday’s page, which I had (ahem) forgotten to read. But, to me, it was a response to an already-forgotten comment/rant I left behind. So I went back, had my wife read to me so I could write it up faster, and left it as MY last word. (I will not, ever, return to the conversation; I simply felt I was being guided to deliver this response—who knows if that is true or if it will do any good to these hate-mongers):

“Stop judging and evaluating yourself, for this is not your role. Above all, stop comparing yourself with other people. This produces feelings of pride or superiority; sometimes a mixture of both. I lead each of My children along a path that is uniquely tailored for him or her. Comparing is not only wrong; it is also meaningless.

Don’t look for affirmation in the wrong places: your own evaluations or those of other people. The only source of real affirmation is My UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Many believers perceive Me as an unpleasable Judge, angrily searching out their faults and failures. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I died FOR YOUR SINS, so that I might cloth you in My garments of salvation. This is how I see you: radiant in My robe of righteousness. When I discipline you, it is NEVER in anger or disgust; it is to prepare you for face-to-Face fellowship with Me throughout all eternity. Immerse yourself in My loving presence. Be receptive to My affirmation which flows continually from the throne of GRACE.”

Luke 6:37; John 3:16-17; Isaiah 61:10 (NASV); Proverbs 3:11-12

[CAPS my own, for emphasis in the response.]

To my readers, writer friends, friends, and strangers who are not “believers”, I don’t apologize for the content of this post (I feel I do a pretty bang-up job of following my rules for the tenor of this blog), but I do acquiesce to your potential, possible feelings of oh no, not another one. I assure you I am not. I think if you read this with an open mind (and heart) you won’t need to be told that. In any case, I do hope the above passage gives you a boost. Because I have already “labeled” this blog, I am going to let the words I originally intended to retrieve be my closing:

Keep your eyes on Me! Waves of adversity are washing over you and you feel tempted to give up. As your circumstances consume more and more of your attention, you are losing sight of Me. Yet I am with you always, holding you by your right hand. I am fully aware of your situation, and I will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear.

Your gravest danger is worrying about tomorrow. If you try to carry tomorrow’s burdens today, you will stagger under the load and eventually fall flat. You must discipline yourself to live within the boundaries of today. It is in the present moment that I walk close to you, helping you carry your burdens. Keep your focus on My presence in the present.

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The blank page is dead…long live the blank page.

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Author known to use spontaneous satire, sarcasm, and unannounced injections of pith or witticisms which may not be suitable for humorless or otherwise jest-challenged individuals. (Witticisms not guaranteed to be witty, funny, comical, hilarious, clever, scintillating, whimsical, wise, endearing, keen, savvy, sagacious, penetrating, fanciful, or otherwise enjoyable. The Surgeon General has determined through laboratory testing that sarcasm can be dangerous, even in small amounts, and should not be ingested by those who are serious, somber, pensive, weighty, funereal, unsmiling, poker-faced, sober, or pregnant.) For those who enjoy and/or revel in the utterance of profanity, the author reserves the right to substitute “fish” for “fuck” without fear of repercussion, mental reservation, or purpose of evasion.