How many "friends" do you have on your social networks? I just checked my Facebook account and I have 499 and quite a few more than that on LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogspot, etc. And while that may sound like a lot, I have heard of others whose list of friends runs into the several thousands.
Now, my social networking friends are people I actually know. LinkedIn is a great place to connect with business contacts and Facebook may (arguably) be better for non-business relationships. Either way, these connections are family members, people from church, business associates, high school or college classmates, and so forth. If I'm connected to someone on Facebook or LinkedIn, then I've had actual, human interaction with them at some point in time. These social media tools are a great way to stay in touch.
But if I was going through a tough time, I wouldn't expect all 499 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.
King Solomon was one of the wisest men who ever lived. In Proverbs 18:24, Solomon said a person with a lot of friends could be "ruined." 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.
