The beauty of the world lay at our feet. These gifts from God given to us, even as we are so undeserving. Too often we overlook the blessings provided each moment, for we are too concerned with our own personal agenda. We fill our minds with personal desires and we strive for interpersonal acceptance.

When our emotions run high, we react in ways of selfishness and far too often qualify our relationships based upon conditions of mutual respect and courtesy. It’s interesting to see the variations in how we react to changing situations. Overwhelmingly so, the reactions are devastating and the impacts can be life changing with consequences that have greater influence than we could ever imagine.

Recently, I have been the victim of what has become the norm in social “justice.” Studies show that gender influences the method in which we choose to deal with what we feel as unfair treatment. Through our relationships, we as human beings utilize every day encounters to categorize those in our life. Some are considered best friends, others are friends, and others are mere acquaintances with some benefit to associate. As we spend more time with each other, we develop patterns of engagement that more clearly defines how “close” we want to get to one another. That close-ness is the foundation of how we categorize people in our life. As we feel we are unfairly treated, we begin to separate ourselves from those whom we feel have committed the offense towards us. Trends indicate that it is this point in which gender decides which branch of the relationship path we travel down.

In my situation, I have committed an offense towards a female. The offense is irrelevant to this discussion but the reaction is not. Studies indicate and have predicted quite clearly how the situation would be handled by this female. Males often confront one another and come to a determination of how they will define their relationship in the future, but females often use relationships as a weapon to harm and further diminish another. In this particular case, the female demonstrated the studies results impeccably. Females often use the opportunity to convince/guilt other mutual friends into believing that the individual committing the offense is a horrible person, untrustworthy, and uses their bond to cause other friends to decide between people. It is through this method that the female obtains a sense of power and control over the situation which helps to overcome the sense of defeat provided by the offense.

Though this may seem a bit one-sided, I can only speak of my recent experience. By no means do I intend to generalize about all females or make females appear cruel. I do however want to use this as an opportunity to express the importance of our words and the influence we have over the world in which we live.

God commands us to love one another and to speak the truth. Though we often fail to accomplish this challenging goal, God constantly calls us back to him and the commands he gives us. In this particular example, I committed an offense by using a strong hand (verbally) towards another whom I believed was opening the door to leading others astray. Though the truth could have been spoken, I was not loving her as God commands me to do. As such, her reaction was not of love, nor truth. Thus, the vicious cycle has begun.

The key point in this example is not that I failed, nor that she failed but more-so that the viciousness has propagated throughout an entire social network. It has caused turmoil and influenced others to fail as well. By committing the offense of slander and by not loving and speaking the truth, she has demonstrated to those who look to her for guidance that said activities are acceptable. By pressuring others to choose between people, she has planted a seed that whom you talk to/associate with defines who you are. More-so, each individual whom re-iterates her words in an attempt to comfort her and are therefore demonstrating the same things provides for the multiplication of such wickedness.

Now think of what the impacts would have been if only she had engaged in the same conversation with someone who believed in Truth and Love. Someone confident in their faith and in the Lord. Though running the risk of being cast aside the same as I, the reward is the cessation of a vicious cycle that can greatly hinder so many other people’s faith in the commandments of our God. Not to mention the resetting of both of our switches, that we may not live for ourselves but for our God and the propagation of Truth and Love towards all our brethren.

It is amazing to see the impacts one God-filled heart can have on the struggles of so many around them. It is also disheartening to see how one failure in the Lord can lead to the eternal separation of God. I continue to learn each day and I continue to fail in new ways. I know, however, that Jesus Christ as my saviour fills my heart and I shall forever be saved. I struggle each day to tune into the Holy Spirit in my life, but I pray each day that I may be used as a tool for your salvation.