Privacy

I saw a bit on the Today Show this morning about the sale of cell phone records. I wasn't surprised that the information is for sale, but I wasn't too happy about knowing anyone with my cell phone number and $110 could get a hold of my calling patterns. I cherish my privacy, but REALLY?! Two things occurred to me:

1. Who has THAT much free time on their hands that they would want to look at my cell phone records? All they would see are frequent calls to my prayer partner, family, & friends. It's not like my calling patterns are that interesting.
   
2. How important is privacy?

Several years ago I was going through a difficult time & shared the situation with my sister in ATL (the one with the twins). I specifically told her not to tell anyone, especially my other sister in JAX (the one with the brain aneurysm). I had a feeling she'd done just that after subsequent conversations with my sister in JAX. My hunch was confirmed a couple of months later when my sister in JAX blurted out my situation in front of everyone (including the little kids) at the family Labor Day barbeque. It was in that moment that I started living my life without the expectation of privacy. I said to my sister (the one with the twins), "I will never tell you anything I wouldn't want published on the front page of the New York Times".

We're living in a world without privacy (whether we like it or not), and as much as I cherish mine, I've come to appreciate the freedom that comes with not doing anything I'm not prepared to have splashed on the front page of a global newspaper. I know my family doesn't believe in "airing their dirty laundry" (which I try not to do), but I also know that it's when you try to hide something that people become more interested. I like my privacy, but if it's ever stripped away, I'm ready to face the world to answer for what I've done because I wake up every morning and have to face God. He's the only one who really matters when it comes to privacy, and He doesn't give us any.