Due to a recent illness (I’ll spare you the details), I’ve had time on my hands, the kind of time where you don’t feel good enough to be productive, but you are conscious.  There are only so many highlight reels you can watch before they start to repeat.  After you have seen the same catch a dozen times, you begin to think, “I bet I could have caught that ball myself.”  That is a sign delusion is setting in. 

In hope of some mental stimulation, I turned to Twitter.  May I give you some advice?  If you are sick and want to feel better, do not look at Twitter.  People can be so mean. 

My period of illness was concurrent with Queen Elizabeth’s death and the ascension of her son, Charles, to the British throne.  I read several mean swipes at the Queen.  I thought, “Have you no respect for the dead?  Why take a shot now?  For the matter, why take a shot at all?  I’m sure the Queen was not perfect, but all in all, she seemed to me to do well in an impossible job.  Why would you want to tweet criticism of her now that she is dead?” 

Someone posted ten reasons people dislike King Charles.  Maybe those are true, but I mean, the man’s mother just died, and he just became King.  Can you not cut him a little slack?  There was also a Twitter thread about Camilla, the new Queen Consort.  People were condemning her for not being attractive, like Princess Dianna.  Really?  How exactly is that relevant? 

I did not have to scroll far before I ran into posts by various pastors and Christian celebrities.   Pastors were posting arguments about the role of women, the proper mode of baptism, and the danger of “woke theology.”  I was not troubled that pastors disagree with one another.  Being a pastor myself, I find myself disagreeing with myself often.  What troubled me was how mean the pastors were to one another.  The tone of their arguments was: “If you do not agree with me, then we can’t be friends.”  That reaction seems over the top.  I thought one of the fruits of the Spirit was kindness.  Is anyone asking: “If you are not kind on Social Media, does that mean the Spirit is not working in your life?” 

One of Taylor Swift’s early hits asked the question, “Why ya gotta be so mean?”  Jesus’ brother James actually answered that question.  He says we have desires that battle within us.  I think Social Media wars show our desire to be significant, for people to take our side.  They reflect our pride, which in turn masks our deep fear that we do not matter.   

I wonder if we would benefit from asking God, “Am I mean?”  Can I guess the answer for you?  You are meaner than you think.  At least, that was the answer I got when I asked God the question.  Most of us have a blind spot about how mean we can be.  Maybe we don’t ask God how mean we can be because we don’t want to know the answer. 

During my recent illness, some people were incredibly kind to me.  A neighbor and friend took care of cutting my grass.  Doctors and nurses went the extra mile to keep an eye on me.  My kids texted and called with support.  My wife, as always, was right there.  Co-workers covered for me at work.  I am sure Jesus appreciated all those acts of kindness, more than one hundred Tweets about theology.   

People have been criticized for emphasizing grace more than truth.  I don’t think you can separate the two.  If truth has a claim on you, it will change the way you live, the way you talk, the way you Tweet.  If grace is coming to surface, it means you have met a truth bigger than you that changes your life. 

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.  Truth is not an abstract ideal; it is a person named Jesus.  When he changes your life, kindness should flow.   

If kindness isn’t flowing, ponder Taylor Swift’s question: “Why ya gotta be so mean?”