It Wasn't Stalking Really

I was looking through social media this morning after doing my Bible study and prayer time. I have recently switched my schedule and wait to check social media until I spend time with God (duh!) Since the switch up I find myself looking upon what I see with different eyes. Before, I would get caught up in the blogs, memes and the statuses that people post. Now, I find myself truly looking at the individual person and wondering what is going on in their lives; are they happy, healthy and doing well?


In my near 10 years in ministry I have been blessed to be the officiant for at least a dozen weddings of wither of my daughters friends from high school or college. I have also been able to attend another two dozen weddings from the same group. First of all it is hard to believe that I am old enough to sit in the weddings of girls who had sleepovers at my home that included nail polishing, dress up, giggling and toilet papering boys yards. The fact remains that each one of them have grown up to be beautiful young women. Some of them have stayed close to home in our small town and others have moved far away. Over the years I have become connected through social media with the girls themselves, or their parents and other people they went to school with that may not have been those that were "besties." Today I saw a girl that I had, although I hadn't attended her wedding, and she wasn't one of the girls that hung out at our house, I knew her and her family through town and school connections. I remembered looking at her beautiful wedding pictures a few years ago. she was a beautiful bride in a beautiful setting. She looked happy. But now I saw the same smiles but no evidence of her husband. The next thing I knew I was looking into her profile, checking pictures, even looking to see if her relationship status had changed. It was as if I had turned into a private investigator or worse yet, a stalker. 

Simultaneously I felt guilty for stalking and sad if she was having a rough time. It troubled me so much I caught myself wondering if I should call her friends or family to find out or even reach out to her. What should I do?? How would I know how to care for her, pray for her?

Then smack! God doesn't need me to know what is wrong. I don't need to know if she is sad or if her life is fine to pray for her. If anyone has come to my mind then that is God's cue to lift them up. Love can be sent with out any contact at all. 

Breaking that sort of news to people that aren't really in your inner circle of your life is hard. Having gone through a divorce (thank goodness, BSM - before social media) is tough. You almost feel as though you are expected to put an ad on a billboard. People almost seem offended you didn't call. I guess the discomfort of another is more important that your as that point, right? 

God's conviction freed me from having to know what's going on in everyone's life to hold them in prayer; to lift them up. I can now pray without trying to micromanage God.

Ouch! Thanks God!