I don’t do social media.
I like my privacy. I don’t want my activities placarded on a web page.
I hate the gossip and half-truths seen there at times.
I’am reminded of true friendships first:
- A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
- There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
- He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
- Faithful are the wounds of a friend.
- So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
I Found some “Traits of True Christian Friends” from thoughtco.com
“So, what does a true Christian friendship look like?”
- Loves Sacrificially “If we choose our friends based only on what they have to offer, we’ll rarely discover the blessings of a genuine godly friendship.”
- Accepts Unconditionally “We discover the best of friendships with brothers and sisters who know and accept our weaknesses and imperfections.”
- Trusts Completely “We should only expect to share complete trust with a few loyal friends.”
- Keeps Healthy Boundaries “If you feel smothered in a friendship, something is wrong. Likewise, if you feel used or abused, something is amiss.”
- Gives Mutual Edification “We talk, we cry, we listen. But at times we also have to say the difficult things our dearest friend needs to hear. Yet, because of the shared trust and acceptance, we are the one person who can impact our friend’s heart, for we know how to deliver the hard message with truth and grace.”
Through writing blogs I’ve learned some basics of writing and conversation :
- Words on a page can easily be misconstrued. They may seem to say something that the author did not intend.
- Writers hone their craft in the above realization, and so edit, re-read, and re-write,
- Even this effort does not prove foolproof. it takes work to pick words for clarity sake.
An example of this meticulous editing style is found in Paul’s letter to Philemon. In it Paul uses a variety of words to affirm his admiration, his love, and his respect for Philemon his friend. Paul goes as far as to say, “I am sending my heart.” He makes it so clear that the letter is not to flatter, manipulate, or place guilt. He spells it out. He writes to assure his friend. He carefully words his letter to draw out the mutual love he has with Philemon toward The Savior. Lastly he conveys his request.
In closing, let’s make some things clear:
- Social media in itself is not evil.
- Social media creates a format for potential evil. (as any culturally founded network would through abuse).
- Social media, if not guarded against, can draw a person into wrong thinking.
Finally, I will never judge people’s motives, as I cannot ever know them.
At 66 years I am not a part of the Facebook generation, nor even the computer generation. The culture dismisses the elderly in a general sense or projects them as a clique unto themselves. Sorry, with respect to these trends, I haven’t kept up!
I’m not losing any sleep over it. But if you are a social media person, please don’t forget us “uninitiated.
Friends, we have liberty; let’s, in love, serve one another with it! love ya