New Sayings
2 Thessalonians 3:16 ESV
Did you see the troll who slapped me down online?
Growing up I remember trolls. I had troll dolls. I loved my troll dolls. It’s a little silly {a little?} but I loved trolls because they were little (as compared to Barbie) and they had wild hair. Ahhh…the mind of a child!
Now they have troll scary dolls, troll gnome dolls, and pretty much troll anything trolls. The trolls in the troll movies today are colorful and they look “fun”. Hummmm…
A new saying related to trolls is a person calling you out online.
I manage a FB group for my hometown located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri.
Yesterday I was trolled.
I was accused of not monitoring the group “well” because of scammers. Now, the group has thousands of members and I check it several times a day for scam posts. I started this group 8 years ago. I am a volunteer. I don’t mind helping the people who have lived or currently live in my hometown.
I DO mind being trolled. I was not a happy camper, but I chose to not fight back. I chose instead to forgive the person and to pray for the person because that puts the matter into God’s hands.
I figure that God has a lot more “fire power” than me. I asked God to help the person and to keep on helping her so she will find or have God’s peace.
So that’s actually the thing we have to remember when we are trolled or treated badly in any context.
More times than not the person doing the trolling is putting the other person down because they have an extremely low opinion of themselves. The person trolling me doesn’t know me at all. I’d guess she knows nothing about me.
She isn’t attacking me.
She’s just trying to make herself believe that she’s better than me by pointing out what she perceives to be an egregious error.
She could have a hole in her heart (emotionally).
I forgave her.
I asked God to help her.
I asked God to love her to Him.
I asked that she will miraculously experience the peace of God.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 says, “May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”
I’ve noticed through the years sometimes when people knew I was ministry and they have a “beef” with God, they attack me. At first I was really hurt and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. It took time but I realized they weren’t really attacking me.
A wise soul reminded me not to take it as a personal attack.
It took a little time yesterday (and prayers spoken by my tribe) for me to remember what God needs me to do. Really, who God wants me to be.
God wants me to be the hands and feet (and mouth) of Jesus to the world.
I need to pray for those who attack me. I need to ask God to help me love them. I need to care enough to pray for them.
I need to do that every time I see her name.
Remembering that life is hard sometimes helps as well. I do not have any idea what her life is like. I don’t know her thoughts. I don’t know if her life turned out to look anything like she expected.
Did she have dreams that were never realized?
Every dream and every hope I had was nor realized, but instead God gave me something greater. Has she experienced that blessing?
Is she surrounded by people who love her? Does she have a tribe who loves her and prays for her?
Does she wake up every morning knowing God watched over her and has planned blessings galore for her day?
Does she know that when her last day is done Jesus and a multitude of Angels will sit with her, ready to receive her in glory?
I know all of that.
I pray…oh how I pray that you know all of that as well.
I pray that the next time you are trolled, you will know that the troll needs you to pray for her/him.
You could very well be the only person who does. Life is a crazy journey…so many people need God’s love.
Spiritual Practice: Trolls
Have you been trolled? Pray for them. Pray Jesus for them. Pray peace.
In God, Deborah
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