The Reason
I proudly claim 75 friends on Facebook (FB), a much smaller number than the hundreds of friends those 75 friends of mine have. Yet, I recently seriously considered not only closing, but deleting my FB account. What I thought would be an interesting and efficient way to connect with old friends and relatives who live far away, and keep tabs on my children’s activities online, has turned out to be (mostly) a waste. I am interested in my friends, but few of them post about their real lives. It seems that their FB persona is just that, a created identity portraying what they think others want to see. Most FB characters are superficial and vacant. (I must admit that my own rare posts are probably not that interesting to most of my friends.)
The few friends who do share about their true and current lives have kept me on the teeter totter, undecided and wondering whether I should… or shouldn’t.
Then it happened. The reason my account is still active. The reason it will remain so until the posts stop coming. The announcement of a pregnancy by one of my very best friends in high school, who now lives over a thousand miles away, followed by bad news three months later have kept me going back.
A tiny baby born (1.5 lbs).
Setbacks.
Prayers.
Resilience.
Strength.
Love.
Life.
Miracles!
Her heartfelt posts, her pictures, commentaries, and her faith give me strength and hope. She has put a very difficult moment of her life up for all to contemplate – a very risky thing to do. Yet, the outpouring of support and encouragement from her FB friends has been strong and honest.
I am so grateful and humbled that she has chosen to share her life, struggles, and this amazingly difficult and beautiful journey with us… with me. She might not know it, but she is always in my heart. Her friendship, past and present, is a precious gift which neither time nor distance can diminish.
As long as my dear friend posts, I’ll stick around FB. I want to watch her beautiful baby grow!
PS: Photo courtesy of my friend who graciously allowed me to use it though she didn’t know what I was writing about 
Thank you so much for sharing this! I thought God nudged me into the FB and Twitter worlds .. .but I just couldn’t keep up with it, nor did I feel I had anything really to put up on there. I’m still considering it all, but your post helped it to make more sense why He might want us using those social sites. God bless you!
There have been various times that I’ve been led to pray for people just from things I’ve noticed through their posts. But it’s hard when you see so much fluff… Thanks for your comment Debbie!
I have been in two minds about FB too but this kind of gem makes it worth it.
It does really does. Thanks Julie.
This is the main reason I use FB. I scroll through to see if anybody needs prayers or congratulations.
Yes… Sometimes even when they’re not asking for prayer, I see a need that leads me to pray. But this experience has been unique and very special. Thanks for your comment.
Dear Greisy, This is such a beautiful post. Two years ago I joined FB and found it as hollow as you describe. Within a month I left. What a blessing in these circumstances that you did not leave and found your dear friend. May it lead to your continued support and many treasured moments and memories. Vivian
Thank you so much Vivian. I can truly say I’ve enjoyed this part of my experience with FB.