Everyone seems to be taking their stand to the “left” or “right” these days. And then, there’s me… between the Democratic Donkey and the Elephant Republican… the Monkey in the Middle, if you will.

We all know the game. Two people throw the ball back and forth, with you in the middle jumping up and down, trying to grasp the ball they aim to keep out of your reach.

I don’t know about you, but on my Facebook feed, there seems to be an oversharing trend when it comes to politics. There are so many articles, memes, videos, etc. that it’s hard to sift through. It’s often difficult to tell what is legitimate and what is made up or satire. Then there are the articles that just get continuously shared – why is this story from 2015 showing up again? It’s 2018 for Pete’s sake! I feel like I’m looking at this mass of information – back and forth – with the truth out of reach. Why does it feel that at the height of all this available information, at the touch our fingertips, that the truth seems to be even more elusive? (Am I the only Monkey in the Middle here?

My views don’t typically seem to align with everyone else’s. I usually try to see both sides’ perspectives, and then I look for the middle ground. Today, everyone has an opinion on absolutely everything, and hate gets thrown around if you don’t share that opinion. Then it stops being monkey in the middle, and becomes more like dodgeball! Honestly, sometimes I don’t know what the right answer is, but what I do know is that we don’t have to agree on everything. We can even have our own opinions, but as Christians we especially should be cautious because, without love, we are nothing.

My rule of thumb is to keep politics to a minimum. Fact check (and date check) before reposting that article. Remember Facebook is public, and maybe not the best place to argue (consider your witness and how your reactions and posts may affect others). There are times that a post merits an honest comment, but remember to keep it kind. Or if you really feel compelled to share your opinions with someone, try sitting down and treating them to a cup of coffee and have a conversation. You gotta do something with that $5 you found in your pocket!