Social networking is growing exponentially. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other net-based social networking sites and communities are fast weaving themselves into people's daily lives. Mine too.
This morning I was perusing my usual sites including checking out Facebook to see if any of my friends had updated, commented or posted. A friend I recently connected to who knew me over 30 years ago and had lost touch said "Hi" via the chat widget. What ensued was, I think, remarkable. And yet, it may be not so remarkable in the very near future.
We exchanged "hellos" and chatted about being up really early. We talked about my friend's upcoming vacation and then my friend shared a deep, personal loss. Just like that! Boom, it was in front of us. Tragedy had touched my friend's family. I hadn't known, but now I did. I was able to offer some meager words of comfort, but in that simple moment we were connecting and I was praying the sense of isolation that so often comes with pain would be lessening for them.
Facebook - that much maligned, virus-ridden, controversial, time-consuming, frustrating and unwieldy network - had just made it possible for me to minister to someone that I might never have been able to reach any other way.
What my friend doesn't know, and probably won't unless they read this post, is that lately I've had doubts about my ability to serve others in this way. This morning I got the chance to offer my support to someone else and I was able to do it. And I needed to know that, just like my friend needed a bit of encouragement.
It's a miracle.
Shalom
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