I use the snipping tool quite often at work and sometimes at home. (If you’ve never used it, go to your search bar on your computer and start typing “snipping tool.” It should pop up with just a few letters. Open it, click “new,” then drag a box around something you want to highlight to keep for your records or easily share with someone. You’re welcome.) We each have a snipping tool in our minds that we might not use as wisely. What snippets do we grasp onto, and what are the broader implications?

• On social media, why do we choose to share or comment on one post over another? What do we immediately dismiss, and what do we immediately nod our heads in affirmation?
• What messages do we seek and leave on for the duration versus those we dismiss or discredit without knowing the content? Messages can be sermons, podcasts, books, and more.
• What images catch our attention? Of the photos we take, which do we keep and what filters and other adjustments, if any, do we commonly use?

Some things prompt us to feel good, and we often grasp those things. Other things rub us the wrong way (and perhaps challenge us), and we tend to push those away. Our initial reactions are sometimes good, but our initial response is not always the most accurate and appropriate.  Here’s the thing: I keep snippets, too. We can’t keep and share everything in our lives, but we can and must consider what we are quickly liking, sharing, rejecting, and blocking—not just on social media but in every aspect of our lives. Let’s ask

• Could there be truth that I don’t expect in it or distortions I’ve built immunity to?
• Could I refuse to consider something, because it involves a sacrifice I’m unwilling to give? Is that sacrifice righteous, or am I being stubborn and self-righteous?
• Can I recall times in the past that I prioritized differently than I do now? If I can see growth that’s happened over time, how can I continue to grow? Could I be in a quagmire of obstinance?

I like the snipping tool, but just as any other tool, it can be used in helpful and productive ways, or it can become distracting and destructive.

Snip well.