S.T.E.A.M.--Where would we be without that "T" for "technology"? In some ways, the world has never been more connected. News, good or bad, can be shared with thousands of people instantly. Everybody can rejoice over your child's first loose tooth moments after it is discovered! What a time to be alive!
While technology connects us in ways that our grandparents never thought possible, it also seems to aid in a very sad, harmful sort of disconnect. It allows us to "interact" with one another without the messiness and inconvenience of actually being with one another. I have read many blog posts that could be titled "Dear lady I watched cry at Starbucks" or "To the mother of three that I creeped on at Target". Perhaps posting a blog about wanting to help the lady at Starbucks or typing what we wanted to say to the lady at Target makes us feel like we really did help in some way. However, chances are overwhelming that the ladies addressed in the blog posts will never read them......and never be helped by them.
In 2012, my husband suffered a heart attack and underwent quadruple bypass surgery. It was, without question, one of the most frightening times in my life. So many gracious family members and friends reached out and helped us logistically and financially. Meanwhile, there was one person who chose to "help" in a very unusual, unexpected way--by writing a blog post. This was not a "please pray for my friends as they go through this" kind of post. This was more of the"make sure you appreciate your loved ones--you never know what might happen to them" variety. I don't mind that the post was written. It just bothered me that this person lived close by and never personally reached out to us. They never offered to pray or even send a message asking how we were doing. To this person, our difficult circumstance was simply an opportunity to write a blog post. I will admit the possibility that this person thought that the blog was helping us in some way. In a way, it did. It taught me never to do that to someone.
If we can take the time to wax eloquently about what we would say to the overwhelmed young mother or to the heartbroken lady in Starbucks, should we not use some of that time to walk up to them and show God's love in some way? Our efforts might be rejected or unappreciated, but I can nearly guarantee that attempts at personal connection will do far more than writing. Who knows, it might make for a FAR more interesting story.
