One of the things that I’m continually bothered by these days is how quick to anger people seem to be. I know I’m seeing some of this through the lens of social media, which is distorted to begin with, but it just seems that people go from zero to enraged in an increasingly short amount of time.

A post about literally anything will draw out some incredibly angry responses. While I recognize that there is safety behind the screen, and people have a bit of ‘allowed to be my worst self’ syndrome on social media, I can’t help but feel like it’s grown worse since the pandemic. That somewhere in the turmoil of the first half of the 2020 decade, we’ve lost patience and the ability to ask ourselves what is worth (and what is NOT worth) getting worked up about.

Maybe we are all just so fatigued by the endless uncertainty of our times. I know when I’m tired, anger bubbles closer to the surface in me. Things that I could normally take in stride, will spark anger – even rage – in me when my battery is running low.

Maybe that’s the thing. Maybe all of humanity’s battery is running low right now.

Which leads me to the question – what do we do to recharge when our battery is running low? The obvious answer is rest, and while I wish I could to say to the entire world: let’s just take a nap for the next six months, that clearly isn’t going to happen.

So I wonder if something like this might be the answer:

Choosing to speak words of encouragement, rather than words of anger. Choosing to see the best in others, to focus on their strengths and attributes. Choosing to make a difference to someone by building them up.

Even just writing those last three sentences, I can feel the anxiety and anger that have been on a low simmer in me as I write this post, begin to calm. I can feel their power draining, and being replaced by the things I value: compassion, empathy, love, hope. 

Words are powerful. We can use them to build up or to destroy. But with so much destruction around us these days, I’d encourage us all to choose to use them to build up.

As we continue to journey through the season of Lent, may we all think carefully about the things we say. May we use words to build up and not to destroy. May we see this as a vital part of our faith as we walk with Jesus.