Slander. Ridicule. Gossip. No one is really ever exempt: Politicians. Celebrities. Groups. Individuals. We each are targets....of someone. At some point in our lives. Christians. Rich. Poor. Corporations. Laborers. I don't know of anyone who has ever truly been thrilled to receive onslaughts of derogatory comments. Few people like to be criticized and demeaned. It's hard to live with, and quite often, the verbal arrows and darts penetrate far more than the outer skin of a recipient. I've grown accustomed to insults and condescending attitudes in the blog-world. It seems common-place on any blog, secular or faith-oriented. Seems we cannot quench the desire to toss zingers, play tit-for-tat, or in my case get sabatoged. Yeah. As a matter of fact, I've been under attack for several days now. Someone doesn't like me writing what I write, I suppose.
For some odd reason, as soon as I publish this post or any other in my blogs, the Typepad composer will eat the copy I see before my eyes right now. It has nothing to do with Typepad as far as we can tell. It's a localized problem--to my blogs alone. I can only imagine a cyber-worm was released upon my opening someone's link and pasting it to my composer here.
It began this week. Whenever I type a post into my drafts and try to go back in later and edit it, it is gone. Eaten. Gobbled up. Poof!!! Now, the very same post, if I've already published it, remains online. It's the original copy I write that is gone. So if I go into my blog-composer to read it or even add a line of credit somewhere, I can't. The copy on my composer disappears as soon as I publish it. It's a pretty stealthy attack worm. Wouldn't you say? And no, I have no idea who released this little worm from its can of evil and viciousness. It really doesn't matter. God knows, even if I don't. Even if Typepad is unable to pinpoint where it came from or who sent it, the damage is done. Over 6 years of writing (mostly devotional in nature), is vulnerable, including my nearly finished devotional book. Photos and the spaces in which they were located on my computer, GONE. Oddly, I am not nearly as upset over this attack on my blogs as I am the attack on a friend of mine.
I have a dear sweet friend who was verbally attacked this week and it broke my heart. I love this lady. When someone insulted her after litany of flowery compliments, I wanted to crawl through my monitor and tear his tongue out. I didn't of course. I couldn't. I could not believe anyone could be so crude (and I know lots of crude people). Nor could I comprehend the remotest reason this knot-head would have in his pea-sized brain to insult her the way he did. I don't get it. She'd never done anything at all mean to him. She is one of the sweetest ladies I know. She is synonymous with the words kind, loyal and full of mercy. She was crushed. Emotionally and psychologically. The words spoken to her were uncalled for. Senseless. Upon reading her email to me, my heart flooded with irritation and bitterness. I felt sick to my stomach. I went to my Facebook account and a friend of mine had posted a quote by Adrian Rogers:
"Bitterness is an acid that eats its own container." Adrian Rogers
I copied it and posted it on my status and added, "I need some extra lining around my heart tonite". I know that the only thing I can do to rid myself of anger is to forgive. I know that I must and I really need to do that before the sun goes down. Yet, here I am. The eastern sky is turning pink and purple as Oklahoma sunsets most often do. And I am still clinging to the arrows flung at my friend. I still hurt for her. I feel her pain--but not all of it. Only she knows the depth of it. I suppose that is how we all feel when someone for whom we care deeply is maligned, or insulted, or criticized without rhyme or reason. In the end, we each have to come to the end of ourselves and realize we are partakers in the sufferings of Christ. And He is the healer when we turn to Him.
I don't know what He plans to do about all my writing, though. That's a whole 'nuther bug to crush. When I publish this, there is no turning back. The words are cached. The copy will be gone. I wish it were as easy to wipe out the memory of a person's words as it is to delete the post. I really do. God give me grace to accept the attacks and manifest the mercy He has shown me by His sacrifice and love. selahV
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