"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." ... 1 Corinthians 13:1,13
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Wow. An old family friend unfriended me at Facebook. Moi! :)
I posted something funny at Facebook, they found it unfunny, we discussed it a bit (with a couple subtle 'digs' at me), then I discovered they no longer consider me their friend.
Growing-up with One Strike, You're Out People (and having met many these years since) I've watched, learned and been hurt by them for decades.
Maybe you know a few, also. They sound like this:
"I forgave you once, but I refuse to do it again."
"You love that tv show? I saw a bad episode and I never, ever watched that series after that."
"I had one negative experience with an online company. I refuse to order from them again."
"I don't care that you didn't mean for it to sound that way."
"I never thought you'd say that to me. No, we can't discuss this. I'm outta here."
And non-confrontational One Strike, You're Outters? They're excellent at silently fading away from your life (or withholding their words or affection), even after you try to resuscitate the relationship.
I used to let One Strike, You're Outters give me complexes, make me terrified about saying one wrong word, but no more. Life is too short to let anyone screw up your head.
I think 'forgiving others seventy times seven' continues to die in our society, so it behooves the rest of us to keep the practice alive, though yeah, it can get rough. Messy.
To retain our sanity in this world-gone-mean, we must remind ourselves that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. And in these Last Days, becoming offended will be normal fare. Yet always, true, godly love is the most important thing and it never fails.
Yes, that's a lot to remember, but we live in a time never seen before, after all. Our personal love for God, Himself, must become more unshakeable than ever and honestly? I believe our relationship with Him is the only thing which will see us through, sanity-intact, the days to come.
I would say, 'I may be wrong,' but really, in this case, I don't think I am.
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"In the last days, people will be ... unmerciful..." ... From 2 Timothy 3
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And here's a P.S. for Facebook users: Clicking on 'Unfollow' is much, much kinder than clicking 'Unfriend.'
Just something to consider.
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Here are a couple (not-free, alas) books I thought some of you might enjoy. I've not read them, though (my disclaimer). They just sounded interesting:
One Pair of Hands
Nothing To Do But Stay
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Nothing to do but stay is one of my all time favorite books!
ReplyDeleteI honestly believe this world is becoming angrier and unfriendlier each and every day. Just the opposite of what Jesus taught us. I'm like you, I've always let it hurt me if something happened. The older I get, the more I'm realizing that you just can't please some people. They just want to be angry about something.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Betsy
Well said, Debra...... and no, I don't believe you're wrong, either! I have had to "UNFOLLOW" several people of late. It keeps me sane to not have to see their CONSTANT political opinions, rants, etc. But I still want to be "friends" if that makes any sense. :-)
ReplyDeleteAngela--thanks for letting me know you love that book! I did order that one last weekend and am now really looking forward to its arrival!
ReplyDeleteBetsy--that's a good point. Some people just aren't happy unless they are angry. :) You pointed out one thing that's great about growing older--we learn to let go of what cannot be changed and just live our lives in joy.
Susan--It totally makes sense--I do the same thing. :) After I unfollow certain friends, I check back the next week to see if their posts have calmed down. It's rather like waiting for friends to get over a phase. heh.
Thanks for commenting, Everyone! Blessings, Debra
After I read your post, the chorus of an old hymn came to me: "No one ever cared for me like Jesus. There's no other friend so kind as he." There are so many frustrated people in the world, and most days I try really hard to listen and understand, but other days, I want to turn off the noise and enjoy the peace of my life. So glad we have our BEST friend for eternity!!
ReplyDeletePam--yes! such a good old hymn and so true. I, too, often leave the news alone nowadays and only read/listen when I know I'm being given grace to do so. What would we do without Jesus during these crazy Times?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!.... Blessings, Debra