"Face" Time

I finished up 2nd John the other day and I just loved how he ended it.  This book was a letter to encourage a woman and her children and warn them against false prophets, but he ends it with "I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to do it with paper and ink.  For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face.  Then our joy will be complete." vs. 12

In our day of Facebook and email and tweeting, Skype and Facetime it is easy to get away from the "face to face" relationship that John is talking about here.  But it is in these personal close relationships that we really connect.  We can get away with a whole bunch of stuff through email and Facebook.  It is simple to hide the hurt and tears or read something out of context.  It is easy to stuff feelings and just type whatever sounds the best.  Skype and Facetime also hide a lot of body language and the personal touch that John is referring to in this verse.

Real personal relationships and time together cannot be replaced.  Sure, all of the things above are great tools for staying connected, but they are only tools.  Real friendships take real face time.  The true joy of a relationship cannot be experienced without physical presence.  Sure, friendships can flourish and exist without it, heck one of my best friend's lives in Alaska and I get to see her once a year if I am lucky, but I wouldn't trade her actual presence for the world.  It is invaluable.

So don't hide behind your computer screen and think things are honky dory.  The true joy of friendship cannot be complete without a face to face connection.