Searching for Answers (and the Rabbit Hole known as G**gle)

Every waking hour of every single day, we make choices.

A lot of them.

According to a 2016 article in the Wall Street Journal, some experts estimate the number of conscious and subconscious choices we make hovers around 2000.

Per hour.

(No wonder I’m tired.)

Sure, some of those choices are small and relatively inconsequential. Green socks or grey? Almond butter or avocado on that slice of toast?

But some are bigger decisions with lasting effects.

On us… and others.

Pretty sure most of us want those choices to be well-informed.

(Instinct and impulse have both proven unreliable in my experience. You?)

Where do you get your information? Cable news, morning paper, daily podcast, Apple newsfeed? (Please don’t say TikTok.)

Who advises you when you have an important decision to make? Your dad/doctor/lawyer/life coach/co-worker? (Please don’t say bartender/palm reader/Gwyneth.)

There’s a glut of information out there. Billions (trillions?) of sources to choose from. Innumerable voices clamoring for your attention.

Which ones do you listen to?

Why?

(Take a second. I’ll wait.)

Do yourself a favor – don’t just listen to the loudest or the so-called smartest.

Sources matter.

Be selective.

Just like we choose what to eat every day, you and I get to choose the information we consume.

I can barely tolerate the money-grab/power-play/three-ring circus that is American journalism. So I limit my news sources. And I have little patience for wading through pop-ups and promos on the internet. So I limit my screen time.

How do we narrow the field and get good answers to tough questions, sound advice for hard decisions?

Some people skip the talking heads and go straight to friends for input… but…

*Proceed with caution.*

Because sometimes our charming/cheerful/funny friends offer well-meaning advice… that later proves to be misguided (or downright lousy).

Other folks seek professional help. And while I encourage therapy (for pretty much everyone, myself included), I must forewarn: there’s a limited supply of licensed, experienced therapists available.

And a serious shortage of good ones.

What we do have ready access to is…

Google.

God, help us.

I mean that.

God, help us not turn to Google before we turn to you.

What’s your go-to?

You can go straight to God.

Or you can just go/ogle the limited knowledge of mere mortals. (See what I did there? ^)

The fact is the information Google disseminates can be inconsistent/incomprehensible/biased… and occasionally, terrifying.

Ever Google your symptoms? (You’re dead.)

Even The Atlantic acknowledged the search engine’s fallibility in a September 2023 article: “The Tragedy of Google Search.”

Internet searches can lead us into a labyrinth of questionable sources and conflicting data. Alice (or Alex) types in a keyword… and tumbles down a rabbit hole of “answers” many of which are limited in perspective or lacking in proof.

Some people forego Google and look for advice/answers/info on social media instead.

Word to the wise:

Don’t.

They’re called “influencers” because they want to exert influence over you. (And maybe take your money too.) They should not be trusted advisers.

Not only is social media the “wild wild west” of information sourcing… it can also lead down a dark alley of uncertainty, insecurity and anxiety. (Props to Selena for stating that so plainly.)

Me? I’d like to be better informed.

I want to gather solid information from trusted sources. The wisest and best.

Which means…

God first.

If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.  But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind; and every decision you then make will be uncertain, as you turn first this way and then that. If you don’t ask with faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer. ~ James 1:5-8 (TLB)

God knows everything.

And he knows you. He knows your situation, your relationships, your fears, your strengths and struggles better than anyone. He knows your history (and your heart) best.

Go to him first. Ask him for the answers you need.

Be humble, honest, expectant.

And have a little faith that he’ll answer.

(He will.)

Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way.
    It is like a light that guides me. ~ Psalm 119:105 (ERV)

Need directions/clarity/help/hope?

Crack open the Book.

It’s a good one.

Wendy

P.S. “God gives us his Word for our instruction and blessing. It truly is the one indispensable book.” ~ Jimmy Carter

“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems (people) face.” ~ Ronald Reagan

Influencers and Followers

Influencers.

That’s what we call people who use their social media as a pipeline for public adoration… and cash.

In the world of Insta/Twitter/Tok…

Influence = affluence.

(Ask Halsey.)

Seems like everyone’s building a platform these days. It’s all about branding, creating a media presence, carefully crafting an image.

And then merchandising the heck out of it all.

Sometimes it happens by accident. Somebody posts something amusing/ intriguing/appalling… and watches awestruck as it takes social media by storm. A couple hundred likes/comments/shares turns into 470K overnight. It’s a middle school math lesson on exponents.

Also known as… going viral.

(Rather ironic since we’ve spent the past year trying to battle a deadly one.)

Anyway, I’m not denouncing social media. Like so many things, it’s simply a tool. Like a hammer, it can be used constructively or destructively. (Wielder’s choice.)

I just want to point out that it’s better to build a life… than a platform.

Platforms can be deceiving, especially when someone says something (on-camera/post/podcast) and does another (off).

Platforms can be dangerous too. They can undermine honesty/integrity/ transparency… and wreak havoc on inner peace. Especially when they become a higher priority than people. 

Things that are raised up can come crashing down.

What soars sometimes gets shot out of the sky.

Take Jesus, for example. Crowds gathered. People fawned. He was hailed as “the One” (think Neo in the “The Matrix” only without the black leather and dark glasses) – astounding onlookers and garnering adoration. Throngs cheered and lauded and clamored, desperate to crown him King.

Then he was “lifted up.” And it killed Him.

But (shockingly, thankfully) He didn’t stay dead. 

I truly believe that. ^

I don’t think it’s fake news… or a fairytale circulated by first-century religious hucksters.

There’s a record of it… eyewitnesses… evidence…

Scrolls. (The parchment kind, not the finger-on-phone kind.)

The problem is, I can’t prove it. That’s why it’s called:

Faith.

Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost.  If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.

But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life.  Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us. (1 Corinthians 15:17-22, CEV)

Here’s the thing about Jesus. Either he is who he said he is… and did what he said he did. Or not. (There’s no third option. No “well, I think he was a nice guy/great teacher/brilliant philosopher/selfless humanitarian.” He’s either bold-faced liar… or he embodies Truth. Either a certifiable loon, long dead… or the eternal, almighty God.)

And those of us who follow him?

We’re either destined for untold glory… or the most pitiful fools of all.

All I know is this: I’ve had an incurable case of wanderlust for as long as I can remember. An ache for someplace else, somewhere heavenly. I’ve been running headlong toward ever-after my whole life.

I’m chasing glory. 

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that we were made for another world.” (C.S. Lewis)

The reason so many of us scramble to make a name/build a brand/handcraft success for ourselves… and then come up short (or – perhaps worse – achieve all we hoped and wonder why it isn’t enough)? The reason we struggle to find contentment… or peace on earth?

Because we weren’t made for this short, hard, hurt-filled life. We were made for an everlasting, pain-free, perfect one.

The trouble is… we see all the world’s shiny things… and we want them.

Now.

What is the cause of your conflicts and quarrels with each other? Doesn’t the battle begin inside of you as you fight to have your own way and fulfill your own desires?  You jealously want what others have so you begin to see yourself as better than others. You scheme with envy and harm others to selfishly obtain what you crave—that’s why you quarrel and fight. And all the time you don’t obtain what you want because you won’t ask God for it!  And if you ask, you won’t receive it for you’re asking with corrupt motives, seeking only to fulfill your own selfish desires.  You have become spiritual adulterers who are having an affair, an unholy relationship with the world. Don’t you know that flirting with the world’s values places you at odds with God? Whoever chooses to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy! ~ James 4:1-4 (TPT)

Whew…

Gut check.

Do I really want what God wants? (Am I willing to relinquish my own wish list?) Can I subdue my stubborn pride?

Less attention-seeking… more soul-searching.

Less “look at me.” More pointing to Him.

Less making content. More making disciples.

The apostle Paul made it crystal clear:

He must increase, but I must decrease.

But how?

My dear pastor Clem put it this way:

It’s not thinking less of yourself… it’s just thinking of yourself less.

But I’m all me me me!!! sometimes. (Ok, most of the time.)

And when I’m not – when I actually put Jesus in his rightful place, first – well…

If you’re following the real Jesus (not the one you created or curated for yourself), you’ll quickly find that you’re… well… pretty unpopular with some people.

Or a lot.

You’ll lose friends/followers/favor.

Jesus told us so:

But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made.
What you have is all you’ll ever get.

And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.

And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games.
There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.

There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular. ~ Luke 6:24-26 (MSG)

If we’re truly willing to follow Jesus, we must be willing to walk alone. Alone, but never lonely.

Because God is…

With us.

Jesus isn’t a skeleton or a sentiment.

He is risen!

(And he loves you to death.)

Follow him.

Wendy

P.S. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same. (C.S. Lewis)