How many "friends"
do you have on your social network? I just checked and I have 428. And while
that sounds like a lot, I have heard of others whose list of friends runs in
the thousands.
Now, my social networking
friends are people I actually know. They are family members, people from
church, business associates, high school or college classmates, and so forth. I've had actual, human interaction with them at some point in time.
But if I was going through a
tough time, I wouldn't expect all 428 friends to walk with me - and they're
probably glad to hear that! After all, while they may be interested to see a
picture of my kids every now and then or see what I've been up to lately (if
that!), they aren't expecting to go beyond the virtual level. It would probably
be awkward for me to ask them for help or advice. Those are things you need
from your closest, most trustworthy companions.
In Proverbs 18:24, Solomon
said a person with a lot of friends could be "harmed." He wasn't
saying we should limit our acquaintances. Instead, he was encouraging us to
nurture a few tight relationships with the kind of people who are "closer
than a brother." Since the quality of our friends is way more important
than the quantity, the Bible warns against gathering mere acquaintances who are
likely to blow us off in time of need.
Although we may have accumulated hundreds, or even thousands, of friends
in our social networking accounts, we cannot experience authentic love through
online connections.
Many of our relationships do
not deserve the title of friendship because they don't go much deeper than mere
acquaintance. However, when a true friend faces a tough time, we provide
support by being there and offering listening ears.
True friendship rests in our
relationships developed over time and experiences through which we can show the
depth of commitments even through difficult times.
That kind of loyalty is hard
to find, but it is well worth the search.
