Join My Newsletter

Heartwarming Small-Town Romances and Thrilling Mysteries

It was a rough week last week with lots of anger and hatred flying around on social media and the news. I worried we were watching the end of our nation. Stress, prayers, and doubts have plagued me since then. How do I keep from being led astray by lies and the desires for power? I was putting together thoughts for my blog about what people should do and think about it.

Then my grandmother visited me.

My Granny Slats died many years ago with dementia, but last night, she was in my dream just as real and vivid as if she were really here. I had to tell her who I was, but then she remembered me and took me to her house. I watched her cooking in her kitchen. It was very peaceful as she went about doing what she always did, providing for her family and others. When I asked her about the turmoil going on, she said not to worry, just keep doing what you know is right.

When I woke up, I knew what she meant. She’s sharing her wisdom with me still.

I have a different attitude now. I don’t have to choose a side other than the Lord’s. I don’t have to be involved with trying to fix the situation or change people’s minds. I am still free to live a quiet and peaceable life and do good for others (I Thessalonians 4:11-12). Against such there is no law (Galatians 22-23).

Others may choose to adore and follow earthly men and their strivings for power, but God and Jesus are the only ones I choose to follow. They are the only ones who provide the right path (Proverbs 3:5-6). Staying on that straight path requires me to look inside myself…not at others. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith… (II Corinthians 13:5).

When Jesus lived on earth, he never gathered large armies around him. His only angry outburst was when he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple and said they’d turned the house of prayer into a den of thieves. He certainly never physically harmed another. He didn’t demean or browbeat others into submission. The crowds around him were common people begging for help, and He helped as many as He could by feeding and healing them and sharing God’s Word. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked (I John 2:6).

I am taking Granny Slats’s advice and won’t engage in the battles going on around us. I’ll stay on social media because it’s the only contact I have with some friends, and I don’t want to lose that. I’ve unfriended several people who seem bent on promoting their political beliefs. I don’t want to see it.

I will control my social media as much as possible and use it to check on my friends so I know how they’re doing, share a laughs and jokes, and otherwise make my corner of it a pleasant place to be. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).

I already feel better. Thanks, Granny Slats. I love and miss you.

One Response

Leave a Reply to Carol Peterson Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *