Last weekend a member of our family circle was involved in an awful accident. She was horrifically injured, and although now making some tiny steps towards recovery, will be in hospital for several months. Her life will never be the same.
At first the news came through to the family via phone and text. My heart started pounding and an old familiar phrase rose … “I’ll pray …”
But I don’t pray any more. I left that life a long time ago. So I got on the internet and found a news report. I scanned the family Bebo and Facebook pages but just hours after the event there was nothing.
Over the weekend we sent and received texts and phone calls of disbelief, hope and love. Then slowly the Facebook and Bebo pages started to fill with little messages. First it was other young people sending love, energy and affirmations to their friend lying in hospital. Then it was whys? and hows? Then the family started to leave updates and messages of thanks.
Social Networking as a twenty-first century prayer? It might sound facetious to many people. Consider, though, in times of disaster or emergency – personal or not – people want to get together and leave a token or a message that expresses a quiet public thought. Think about prayer circles that feature in Christian church communities the world over. Just last week I saw a little box in a school office, inviting parents to leave their email addresses in order to join an E-prayer group for those “less fortunate or in introuble”.
Social Networking as a twenty-first century prayer? Amen.
Related posts:
Find Me!