"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing... for the greatest of these is love."... 1 Corinthians 13:2,13
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So perhaps you heard about the recent hacking of Facebook. Frankly, this subject, below, frightens me way more than that.
Yikes! What is it, you ask?
When my Facebook (or blogging or email) friends post that--
... their dog died,
... they're ill and need prayer,
... they became a grandmother,
... they were in an accident,
... they're facing a divorce,
... their relative or friend passed away,
... they (or their adult child) are marrying soon, etc.
--and I read those things? It's the same as if they are, as in decades past, rushing over to me in church or at a shop downtown, tugging my sleeve and telling me their important news.
Seriously.
Yet if I just keep scrolling down my Facebook (or whatever) page, not pausing to write a note saying I even care-- it's like that photo, above. It's as though my friend shared her news, her heart with me, but in silence, I turned and stepped away.
I ignored my friend in her sorrow or the joy she wished to share--and fled(?) Why? To find/read something more interesting or to finish scrolling because I'm in a hurry or --?
Whatever the reason--if I'm presented online with what, years ago, would've made me express condolences, congratulations or a hug in-person, but now I write or say nothing, oh my, I've gone backwards.
I've ignored many scriptures, ones like this--
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." ... Romans 12:15
And when my just-keep-scrolling heart neglects Bible commands, uh-oh! It's like a new patch of metal scales appear. Do that enough and someday my heart will resemble an armadillo--
Heaven forbid.
Man, these latter days, this Internet, have brought such responsibility. How easy it used to be to say, "I hadn't heard what happened. I didn't know. No one told me."
But now I do know--and with lightning speed. And with great power/knowledge/love of God, truly does come responsibility.
And when I stand before God someday, oh my, may He not tell me I had a horrible case of armadillo heart.
Instead, may we both know my heart remained soft, pliable and always desiring to become more like His-- full of love-in-action toward those folks who lived down here while I did, also.
Hopefully before leaving this earthly plain, we'll have spent our time's majority upon what truly mattered--and left alone what didn't.
Sometimes we don't feel well because we're not living up to what we have learned to be true.
Does it take much time to show others we care? Yes, yes it does. But I can't think of a better way to spend my time--can you?
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Another room from local real estate spied online. So cozy, right?
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A favorite recent photo of Naomi and Justin--
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"Walk ... with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." ... Ephesians 4:2
2 comments:
I have often had much the same thoughts Debra. Sometimes all of the social media exhausts me. I have not even been able to access Facebook for over a week now. It opens up and crashes within 3 to 5 seconds. That doesn’t even leave me time to read a story, let alone comment. I have been to the Verizon store. I have deleted and reinstalled the app. I have done everything I can and it still doesn’t work. My best friend hasn’t been on Facebook for almost 4 months and says it has given her a lot more freedom in life. Maybe, just maybe, I’m supposed to use the time I spent scrolling on Facebook to send cards or letters that are hand written and personal. Meanwhile, the first few days were rough. I didn’t realize how much and how often I logged onto Facebook. The last few days have been much better! I do want to keep that armadillo heart far, far away from me too. I want to hear “well done, good and faithful servant.”
Many blessings,
Betsy
Hi Betsy--I've missed you at Facebook! I like your idea of sending cards and letters, though--at times I've considered going back to that, but it's like at this moment, there's not the grace to do it that way. Maybe someday in the future if I bail out of the 'net--who knows? :) Hope you're feeling better this week, my friend! Blessings, Debra
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