by Kenny Wada
Though all of our Congregational Life ministries have either stopped or become virtual gatherings, we continue to ask the Lord to leverage the advantages of online interactions and fill in its inherent deficiencies. Some of the pluses of online communities are:
Easily accessible, so it makes it simple for newcomers to "drop-in" and check out small groups or fellowships
More consistent attendance since busy schedules, freeway traffic and unplanned interruptions are less of an issue when attending a meeting is only a click away
Less work involved in preparing the meeting space (you don't have to get snacks together or clean up your home!)
Easier to meet new people online, stay connected to them through social media and in some ways get to know them quicker because of the ease of communicating online
However, the ease of connecting to an online community is also an inherent weakness. Online communities require less effort and are therefore less costly than in-person relationships:
You don't have to deal with unpleasant smells like bad breath (your own or someone else’s)
You don't have to fear standing alone by yourself because everyone is equally spaced apart in nicely framed rectangles (you can even hide yourself and still listen in on what everyone is saying!)
You also don't need or deal with all the awkward tensions and conflicts of in-person interactions
But all these extra efforts, awkward tensions and anxious relational issues are all a part of real, face-to-face relationships that challenge and shape our character and cause us to turn to the Lord for the strength, forgiveness, courage and ability to love like Jesus.
It is the deep and painful costs of loving real, broken and sinful people that God uses to bring us to the end ourselves and to the beginning of our total trust and dependance upon him. Nothing brings us quicker to the foot of the cross and the mercy of Jesus than the hardships of in-person relationships.
I would imagine that your in-person relationships at home have either driven you nuts or have driven you to the foot of the cross. If that's true for you, that’s because in-person relationships are costly.
May we continue to take advantage of the benefits of virtual communities while remaining aware of their built-in limitations.