I have a little statue that sits on my desk. I think the artist called it a gargoyle but he seems more like a troll to me. He is a rather sad looking individual.
The artist, K. Findling, really captured the brooding simmering anger all locked up in sadness.
To be rude online while making comments is called trolling and to be offensive is to be a troll. Some trolls are worse than others. Trolling has become something of an epidemic. So I put this little 2-inch statue by my computer.
I look at him often to remind myself that I am capable of having an inner troll. You know, that snarky part of my heart. The ugly creature that creeps out and tumbles down to my fingertips to type angry opinionated comments on social media.
Trolls, if they were real, like dark rocky caves. Sooo, if I have an inner troll then perhaps I have a dark rocky cave somewhere for her to lurk. Hmmm.
But, if I have a rocky cave in some corner of my heart, then perhaps I have hardened my heart, making my inner troll very comfortable.
I wish I had an inner gnome. Then my heart would be a garden of flowers. Sadly, I think my troll ate the garden gnome.
I feel like I join with Paul in Romans 7, where I am convicted that the good comment I want to make, or I should make, in social media, is not what I actually type. But the snarky comment I really don’t want to make, (and would never say to someone’s face) is the very thing I type and then in the passion of the moment hit enter before I can edit!
I blame it on the troll.
That is why this little troll sits on my desk. It reminds me that God can take my hard heart and give me a soft heart. He can shine light into the darkest of caves.
In Ezekiel 36:26 it says “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart and I will give you a heart of flesh.”
David prayed in Psalms 51 “Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not they Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
Paul concluded Romans 8 with “for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, (including Trolls) shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” . . .Yeah, I added the troll part.
God is so rich in mercy but he also says to those who show mercy shall mercy be given. Trolls do not show mercy. We live in a dark and evil age in a society that shows little mercy. I pray that I may show mercy and season my conversation with grace and not harden my heart in the days to come.
Blessings
Natalie
Zombie Ministry 