Each day presents us with opportunities that shape our lives. Opportunities to serve Christ. Opportunities to make new friends and love our neighbors. And opportunities to partner with people, places and things that demonstrate our walk with Christ. How important are the partnerships we develop on a daily basis? What do they say about who we are and what we believe. According to Webster-Miriam dictionary, to join in a partnership is to become associated with something or someone.
Association is something the Apostle Paul spoke very strongly about in the first book to the Corinthians. In addressing a controversy regarding eating food that had been sacrificed to idols, Paul writes that those weaker in faith may be easily influenced to stumble due to those who associate with the things in question (I Corinthians 8). In reading over this text more times than I can count, it challenged me to look at my life and the things I associated with. How was my life influencing those around me?
One of the first places I looked was social media. What did my social media “persona” say about what type of Christ follower I was becoming. Within moments I quickly realized there was a problem. By liking and following things through social media, I had associated myself with some pretty shameful things. From movies, music, TV shows and more, my associations depicted someone what did not necessarily look interested in protecting those weaker in faith. It was difficult to look in the mirror and address those things that had to go. What seemed like a simple click of a button could be much more influential on others than I had ever realized. What I began to understand is that we need to take a step back and look at what we are associating with – and the impact it can have on others. Paul said that if it meant protecting others, he would stop eating meat entirely. Can we make that statement about the things we enjoy in life?
Take a moment today to examine your social media follows, likes and subscription; and consider the impact it could have on others. You may be surprised, as I was, to find what you are partnering with.
Yes, many times when we are in a hurry, we do not take the time to see just who we are partnering with. A lot of times it is in a website we visit or a person we “frie3nd” on facebook. Partnersahip, like life, is all about choices. Good choices, or bad we all make choices everyday. It is what we do with these choices that shape our lives. How is your life shaping-up?