People Are Worth More Than a Click

Something To Think About, These Are  Real People: 3/12

One of the illusions--harmful illusions--of our day is the idea that people, and the relationships thatconnect us to people, are disposable.  Folk seem to think that we can treat people like automobiles or even tastes in TV programs.  Tired of your old ride?  Trade it in.  Don't like the program on TV, just switch to one of the other five-hundred channels available.   One of the criticisms of the online world is that it fosters a culture in which people are treated frivolously.   How many of my Facebook "friends" are really friends?  In reality I don't even know some of them.  Of course, I can fix that.  I can just unfriend them.  N.B.D. My intention, today, is not to criticize social media.  Rather, I'marticulating a concern.  I fear that the artificial computerized culture, which was modeled, in part, on the real world, is now influencing real world relationships.   We have been wired for relationship, not pseudo, artificial, shallow, connections, but deep, impacting interactions with other human beings.  We may think that we can frivolously enter relationships and cavalierly break them without consequences to others, and eventually ourselves, but the reality is when we do so, we do all concerned a great disservice.  Granted it is speaking about a matter of choosing leaders in the church, yet the concept is one from which we can learn:  "Do not lay hands on anyone too hastily."  (1 Timothy 5:22)  On the other end of relationships the Bible seems to always lean in the direction of forgiveness, reconciliation, and preservation. The ideal is at the other end of the spectrum from, "Click, your a friend," or "Click again, you are not." Bottom-line, let's remember that the people in our relationships--even the people on the other side of mobile device, or computer screen--are creatures of God, made in His image.  They are more valuable than a click would imply. It's STTA. Explore the Good News here.