“To be clear, I use social media every day. But it troubles my conscience to imagine how what I hold up as moments of joy or every day ‘blessings’ might be perceived by the friend who is grieving, or lonely, or heartbroken, the friend who is reaching out for God’s hand in the dark and coming up empty, or the friend who is meeting God in despair while I’m claiming to have met him over coffee.
“I should be grateful, yes. But beware how quickly an exhibition of gratitude begins to look like self-righteousness, privilege, even naivety.”
—Jessica Griffith, Good Letters
Question: Have you experienced the sharing of gratitude or blessing as self-righteousness, privilege, or even naivety as this article suggests?
Prayer: Holy One, help us to be present to blessing and moments of joy even in the midst of pain and grief. Help us to not trivialize blessing or suffering in our interactions with you and one another. Amen.
