Recently, one of our sons told us that he had been "defriended" on Facebook by someone he regarded as a friend. He related the incident in an off-hand manner, but I could tell he was hurt. Electronic friending and defriending seems to be a common occurrence these days. Not being up on all things social media related, I am still trying to wrap my mind around the concept.
What are the grounds for defriending someone? Is there a time frame when defriending is acceptable? Must I give reasons for defriending? The whole process seems fraught with social mine fields.
I have been guilty of hurting people by my carelessness and thoughtlessness. I have been guilty of selfishness and, even, at times of cruelty. Fortunately, my friends, true friends, have forgiven my lapses of defriending and continue to love me despite my weaknesses.
Worse, though, than defriending my friends is when I defriend the Lord. How do I do this? I defriend the Lord when I fail to be obedient. I defriend the Lord when I choose the things of the world over the things of eternal happiness. I defriend the Lord when I am selfish with my time and means. Like my friends, the Lord forgives me. Again and again.
So, for today, I am grateful for friends and the Lord who never defriend me.
The words that come out of a culture often give us insight into that culture. "Defriend" seems to be a very recent addition, and I wonder what it says about us. No, I don't really wonder. I just mourn. "Befriend", as in to consciously make friends with someone, died out too long ago. Now we have it's opposite in common usage.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for those in my life for whom "defriend" is still foreign, and "befriend" is still the practice.