Daily Power #208

The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. (Prov. 12:26 NLT)

What do you do when you realize you’re feeling lonely? Most of us text a friend, post an update, retweet a favorite line, or share an old favorite photo. If we’re feeling really creative, we’ll surf for items to pin to our page on Pinterest or make a new YouTube video. We might take a picture of our homemade chocolate chip cookies and share on Snapchat. Or edit some video footage for a meme to post on Vine.

Then when several of our friends (or several dozen, or several hundred) respond with their approval, their comments, their adoration of that cute picture of how we dressed up the cat, we feel better about ourselves. The only problem is we’re still lonely. We’ve only been distracted for a moment by all the online affirmation.

Sociologists call this addiction to instant affirmation “deferred loneliness.” We’re trying to meet some short-term need, but in the process, we’re deferring some deeper, longer-term need. But the tradeoff is that we’re deferring our longing for intimacy. We keep pushing that feeling of loneliness into the future, putting off dealing with the root of our problem. Our addiction to instant gratification is changing how we frame our relationships.

We’re living for likes, but we’re longing for love. Thankfully, God has something so much better for us. Reach out and show his love today. When you give it, you’ll be even more likely to receive it back.

Power Lift

Dear God, I know I need friends in my life, trustworthy believers who love me enough both to encourage me and to challenge me. Today help me be that kind of friend to others.