It has finally come to my attention that those who care for me the most, first of all my Dad, then Andre (my boyfriend) and his family, and very importantly, the people who give me hands on care every day here in my assisted living home, are taking a back seat in my list of priorities to my online friends. It is so easy to be the person I long to be when I am conversing with people who are not right here with me. People who I can choose the photos I will post, and delete the ones that don't look so nice. Of course, online relationships are the winners.
The greater challenge is to be A True Friend in my real life. Online, I think very carefully how I can avoid hurting or offending someone. Offline, this is not the case. Oftentimes I don't give a second thought to how my behavior measures up to what Jesus has commanded me to be and do. And these are the people who truly love me. These are the people in whose lives I am able to make much more of an impact.
I believe God would want me to first and foremost be sensitive to the people who are in my life every day. I need to be just as careful to avoid being rude to the people who are here in the building with me, as I take care not to be rude to my followers and friends on facebook and twitter and such.
It's a matter for prayer and a change in what I am the most committed to. Sometimes, when I am involved in something online that has to do with politics, it's easy to talk myself into believing that what I am doing is more important than addressing issues that demand my attention at the present moment. Untrue. There is nothing that should be more important than doing what I am being called upon to do in the immediate.
♬ The Clash: Should I Stay or Should I Go
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