Relationships are like baking a cake. If you don’t put in the right ingredients then it can possibly flop or not set up right. When talking about the mechanics of a relationship then that means that we constantly like a car have to maintenance the relationship. This maintenance is in the form of showing respect, love, appreciation, warmth, and attention. Lack of communication as Dr. Phil said one day on his TV show is the number 
one cause of divorce. Today I watched a video that Pastor Greg Locke posted on Facebook. He was completely heartbroken over what kind of a firestorm on social media that his family has come under due to his recent divorce. He was going on for several minutes quite distressed over what others are saying about him that are part of another church. He describes the stress he is under based on how people are treating him now that he is divorced. They are accusing him of being an adulterer because his wife’s close friend and him were friends. The words are affecting him and are like poison because they are lies he claims and if you watch the video then you can see how sad he is about losing his wife or he is one great actor.
Later in the day, I was trying to pull up Greg Locke’s Facebook video that I watched earlier to copy the link and I came across this site called Pulpit & Pen. The site had an article about Greg Locke and his marriage and why people at his church are upset. The article claimed that he left his wife due to her having a mental illness. It said in the article that he just put his wife in a car and sent her away. Then within a month after his divorce that it was common knowledge that he was having a courtship with a woman named Tai. He hired her to work at the church before his divorce happened. What my question here to pose to you the reader is “how can we know when someone else is telling us the truth from what we read and hear on social media?”. I watched his video on Facebook first which he seemed gut-wrenched over his split from his wife. Then, I read this article posted on Pulpit & Pen about his congregation suffering from his decisions.
Divorce is a private and personal matter; however, because this man is in the public eye leading a congregation of followers at Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee then he is being closely judged. The Bible states in Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”. James 4:12 states that “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One that is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”. Then in John 7:24 Jesus says, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” Also, in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 the Scripture says “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”.
No one in this world is perfect. I don’t believe getting a divorce is like brushing your teeth which means needed every day but if two people are miserable for an ongoing time together then I don’t think God would want two people living their lives like that either. Not saying that is what happened to Greg Locke’s marriage because I have no idea and I don’t want to know because that is his private business. I know the Bible frowns on divorce and it is considered a sin according to the Bible. What are your thoughts about it being a sin? How far does that go in your mind? I remember someone telling me that when he went through his divorce the church that he attended basically turned their backs on him he felt. He told me that most of the people started treating him differently. Why when Jesus tells us to love one another would people do that to this person who had committed no great offense in his marriage? I am not saying that all churches of people are like this to others who have experienced divorce. The tenet of the church I attend says that “God loves you no matter what.”.
After this person explained their experience of divorce to me it made me feel like his divorce sounded like he was being judged like how the character Hester Prynne was 
judged in The Scarlett Letter. Again, how far does this have to go? My opinion of how far it has to go is not like how some people believe which is dis-association of the person from others or the circles of life. I think how it should go is one extending their heart and hand towards that other person who is experiencing grief due to their loss. I think we need to show a net of community and love towards that person not disgrace and judgment.
I had an article pop up on my cell phone the other day about the Golden Globes and how Angelina Jolie was looking down while Jennifer Aniston was presenting onstage with Carol Burnett. I saw the pic in the article and then it proceeded on to say how Dakota Johnson was looking over at Angelina doing this behavior. Also, the article went to point out about Laura Dern also being onstage and Angelina showing the same signals. I felt like the article was shaming Angelina Jolie for it mentioning her coming between two relationships in her past with Brad Pitt and Billy Bob Thornton to these particular women. Yes, Angelina got involved with both of these men but so did they with her. The article didn’t say anything about them and their character. They were just scrutinizing Angelina. She was looking down because she felt bad maybe one of the comments said. I don’t know what the reason was and that was her way of doing things. I feel that what decisions took place between these couples was their decisions and is really none of our business. It becomes our business though because of social media and them being a public figure in the public eye. I understand that we need to know certain news like Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey who had a teenage boy in his hotel room giving him drugs. Yes, we need to know that to not support him or vote for him and to be aware of people engaging in child sex trafficking out in the world. When it comes to celebrities and their relationships then I think that is their personal business. Now that we know that about the supposed break-up of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt due to Angelina Jolie coming into the picture, does that solve any matters of the world today? What about Brad’s decision too involving that matter?
Going back to what I stated before, I think it is wrong for some of these judgments to be made like in the case of Pastor Greg Locke until we know all of the facts for sure. Greg Locke I think shows his pain in the video clearly for losing his wife. In the cases of movie director Harvey Weinstein and Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey, yes this is newsworthy and should be heard and them be judged accordingly for their sins. Some things like the celebrities’ relationships are personal and private that not everyone needs to know about or is newsworthy. I don’t want to be reminded of a dirty scandal that has happened in history every time I turn on the TV or laptop to watch the news.
Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey
Sometimes compassion is shown like this beautiful woman did when facing her son’s killer in the courtroom. This woman’s name is Rukiye Abdul-Mutakallim. This woman showed the most compassion and support to a young man (age 14) who murdered her son Suliman. The way that she could hug the person who committed this atrocity and also hug his mom is the love Jesus is talking about.
Mother Teresa’s quotes are something to live by to have peace in your life. Peace is what I want in my life and what I want to bring to others every day of my life. Like Romans 12:18 states, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with 
everyone.”. What are your thoughts about all of the examples I have provided above involving social media and how we should show love to others concerning these different situations? We have to be careful in how we filter our reading and believing of what is put on social media. With what I have learned about reading the New Testament’s Scripture on judging others is that we should do it wisely and not wickedly. Some of the examples listed above are extreme cases where yes we have to judge the people for their sins and about my thoughts on divorce being a sin is that it is not if there is good reasons behind it. Sometimes people come to irreconcilable differences and I am not one who will judge someone based on divorce. I never really try to judge anyone but when you see major sins occurring like in the case of child sex trafficking and murder then we as a society have to judge the person in the courtroom based on their sin. Do I believe in rehabilitation? Yes I do. Do I believe in forgiving others? Yes I do. Do I think Rukiye Abdul-Mutakallim was silly for having responded that way in the courtroom? No. I actually think it is pretty amazing that she could feel that way. That is true forgiveness and love.
We all have things that have happened to us in our lives that have hurt our feelings or have made us sad. I think life is about community and forging positive relationships with many people. Constantly trying to be a positive force or influence in other people’s lives. Starting over and trying again with the same person who has hurt your feelings. Saying you are sorry to each other and then becoming friends that can share in laughs and smiles together. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”.–Mother Teresa
Jennifer Saunders- Science of Life 