My First Friend Request

In recognition of reaching 1000 friends on facebook, I shall tell the story of my very first friend request:

Long before facebook, or the time of myspace - even before the era of public internet - I received my first friend request.
I was just a very young boy, perhaps 4 or 5 years old.

As I remember, my family and I were traveling, sightseeing, and camping perhaps. At one place we stopped, we had about an hour for us kids to run around, play, and get all those "wiggles" out of our system. We had only been there a short time when another boy about my age ran up to me and asked, "Do you want to be friends?" I was surprised, but simply replied, "sure." Now, I had never seen this boy before, and as we would only be there a short time, I would never see him again.
But we spent that short time together, playing at the playground, exploring, and just having fun. I have a faint memory of going down to see an old bridge. Just he and I -- Me and a friend I didn't know. I think I remember this bridge because we were still there when I heard my parents call, "time to go!" Dejected, I said goodbye to my new friend, and life moved on.

Now, some twenty years later, I am no longer surprised at such random friend requests. With the introduction of Facebook, they are in fact quite common (though i don't say "sure" to so many of these!). Yet every day, through life and through work, I am connecting with people whom I have never before met. Oh, we don't share such formalities as "will you be my friend?"; but with a smile and a tone that cares, we know. It all starts with friendliness.

Today, a connected web interface reports that I have 1000 friends. A few of these are like my young friend - randomly "running up", previously unknown, and requesting to be friends. Some are friends I have never met, yet life - through the internet - has brought us together. Some are mere acquaintances, and like my young friend, we have shared very few experiences. Others are dear friends who are close to my heart. We have shared life, yes, but more than that. We share beliefs and values. We share visions, hopes, and dreams. We share purpose and passion. We want to see the same goals achieved. They are all my friends.

What is the value? Why invest in a friend whom I knew I would only ever see for 45 minutes of my lifetime? Why Facebook, and why so many friends? We share this life with people -- people who are around us every day. And many times we have the option to interact or to remain strangers. I could have spent a full hour at that playground, and never known that boy existed. But he reached out, and connected. We really didn't invest in that friendship. Sometimes you don't need to. We simply shared life for the brief time we were given. Over the years, I have begun to learn how to reach out and connect with others who are around me in life. Transforming from stranger to "friend" with a simple smile and greeting. Why? Because simply breaking that stranger barrier says that we're ok. It affirms that we are human.
Each of us are made in God's image, and are valuable in His sight. I care about every person, because God cares about them. We're in this together. We are brothers. We are friends.

Thanks Facebook. Amidst all the failures, accusations, and problems, you yet have virtue. You remind us that we are human, and that we are not alone. Thank you, facebook, for helping make a connected world a friendlier place.