Building up in today's culture

 "Let all things be done for building up." 1 Corinthians 14:26b... or c... The last part of the verse, whatever letter we assign to it. 

I confess that I've been prone to let out an exasperated sigh about people who annoy me, mentally marching in front of them with verses like this - especially if I see it online. This verse is part of an extensive explanation by Paul and Sosthenes (see 1:1) that gifts are great, some are more effective in the overall effectiveness of the Church, but love and the building up of others in the Body of Christ and those who aren't "like us" is the whole focus of our interactions with others. 

Cool. We all know that. I began to wonder, though, if I've translated that into memes, emails, emoticons, jokes, interactions when relating a story about someone else... The list goes on. One of the quirks of our culture's humour is the propensity we have for laughing at insults. Other cultures often find it odd, maybe even appalling. Granted, because I've been raised in this culture, a witty remark that pokes at oddities makes me smile and can make others laugh. I realize again, though, that whether I say it about myself - implying that those with similarities are equally funny - or about others, "just joking" doesn't cut it if it hurts someone. Digital media is filled to the brim with "stuff," and I need to do my part to make that "good stuff." I'll still post self deprecating jabs, but I hope I'm a little more aware of my responsibility to build others up. I might even try to find encouraging stuff.