T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post

Many years ago, I came across an acronym shared by pastor Alan Redpath. He used it to train his congregation to be more thoughtful before saying things that might be hurtful to others. I think it is perfectly suited to help our generation with social media. The acronym is T.H.I.N.K. It will encourage you to T.H.I.N.K. about these 5 things before you post on social media.

TRUE?

T. stands for TRUE. Is it True? Is what I am about to post true or deceptive? Is it genuine or false? But even if it is true, it may not be something you should post. There are other things to consider. That leads us to the next letter in the acronym.

HELPFUL?

H. stands for HELPFUL. Is it Helpful? Not everything that is true is helpful to others, in fact it might even be hurtful. Think about being helpful to others rather than posting things that are simply designed to get more attention on you. Life is not about likes, follows, or shares.

INSPIRING?

I. stands for INSPIRING. Is it Inspiring? The Bible uses the word “edifying”, which means to build up instead of tear down. Is what you are posting something that will build others up and encourage them or is it meant to tear someone down? There is a growing problem of depression and discouragement in our culture. You can be part of the problem or part of the solution, it’s your choice.

NECESSARY?

N. stands for NECESSARY. Is it Necessary? We live in a media-saturated society with information overload. Be considerate of others by limiting your posts to things that are necessary or essential. I realize that you may feel compelled to post time-wasting nonsense to keep up with your peers, but life is too short to waste so much time on meaningless posts. You can be helpful by not adding more unnecessary content to the exabytes of digital content that already saturates that market.

KIND?

K. stands for KIND. Is it Kind? The world seems to be growing darker and meaner by the minute. Kindness is in short supply and in high demand. Be a force for good in this world through showing kindness to others online and offline.

I hope this acronym will help you T.H.I.N.K. before you post. Check out this post that shows how we can find help from the Proverbs.