Email has become the norm for daily communication. I can't count the times I've thought of someone, and sent out a quick email just to let them know I was thinking of them.
Now we have Facebook. With this creative invention I can simply post a comment on their page to let them know I'm thinking of them, agree with something they've stated, or just an "LOL" regarding a witty comment they've made.
My husband and I have a group I call the "Monthly Gang" that we socialize with. They've jokingly labeled me their Social Director, as I put together things for the "gang" to do every month, as a means of helping people connect, make friends, and feel a sense of belonging. I believe this is an outreach ministry the Lord has led my husband and I to orchestrate. We love it, as he and I both love entertaining, both are serious organizers, and some would even call us compulsive. They're probably "right on the money."
I use email to contact the "gang" every month, regarding what I have planned for them, dates, instructions, and to get a head count. This has proven to be most effective.
Yet, today I found myself wondering if I had begun to allow email to replace the voice that some may desperately need to hear at just the right time.
While on Facebook earlier in the week, I received a IM from a lady I knew from high school. She advised me that one of my childhood friends lost her 3 year old grandson. It seems this little boy drowned in the pool. She advised me as to how my childhood friend was doing, the funeral arrangements, etc. My heart felt so heavy for her, as I knew she had so much on her as it was.
The last time we had talked she shared with me she had her 82 year old father living with her, and her older sister, who is in bad health as well, and she basically was their caretaker. So, I knew this created even more pressure, not to mention heartache for her. I told the lady in IM that I would give my childhood friend a little time, then email her to check on her.
After arriving home from a Father's Day lunch with friends, I sat down at my computer and decided I would email her through Facebook. As I clicked on her name, and titled my email, I thought..."why not just call her?" I told my husband I was going to call her, and stated..."you never know what the Lord is doing." Off I went to make the call.
Much to my surprise, which actually shouldn't have been, she was so happy to hear my voice. I listened to her relive the last moment she saw the precious grandson she lost earlier this week. I listened to her voice break into sobs, as she shared her concern for her daughter, the mother of her deceased grandson. All I could say was how terribly sorry I was, and continue to just listen. It was clear this childhood friend was overwhelmed with grief, worry for her daughter, and expressed concern about returning to work tomorrow morning, leaving her 82 year father, ailing sister, grieving daughter, along with her other 3 children who wanted to be with her, and keep herself composed while she worked.
I asked her, not knowing whether she attended Church or not, if I could pray for her. She eagerly say yes. I began to pray. As I prayed for her, I could hear her cry, which gripped my heart even more. Once the prayer ended, she thanked me. She then informed me that she was a member of a Church. Although her attendance had been down, due to her father and sister's health, her pastor had offered to send her sermon tapes, which she said she never received. She then told me, with the sound of tears in her voice, that her pastor had not stopped by, and had not even phoned her.
Her I am in Tennessee, and she in Illinois. We've not seen one another in more than 20 years, recently found one another on Facebook, and I was about to email her with my condolences. Wow ! I knew that I had been prompted by the Lord, after hearing her story, to call her.
Once we were closing the conversation, she began to apologize for not keeping in touch, by phone, on a regular basis. I assured her that we need not feel obligated to call each other each month. We should just rest in our relationship, and simply call when we felt it was a good time. There need not be pressure to maintain that relationship. She agreed, and expressed her relief that we could just relax with one another.
I've got to say I'm an email lover. But, I want to be reminded of today as days pass by. I want to remember someone needed to hear a voice, and not read something I typed. I want to be sensitive to the voice of the Lord. After all, He was the one who prompted me to make that call.
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