BEWARE! THIS IS A LONNNNNGGG POST. SO IF YOU DON'T LIKE LONG POSTS, YOU BETTER STOP HERE. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. THIS COULD GET RATHER BORING!
On Sunday, June 28th 2009 I met Pineapple, a CC member, for the very first time in person. I don't think I've ever personally met ANYONE in real life. Somehow in my mind, I separate my online life and my actual life. When I separate these two lives, I don't become less genuine online than I am in real life. I'm still the same person on cam and the same person when anyone meets me in person.
However, I couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous when I picked up Pineapple from the Greyhound Bus Station in Los Angeles. I found myself planning on what to say, instead of letting things fly when I go on CC chat. I even felt something within me that I might be doing the wrong thing in meeting an online person. Why did I feel that way?
Was it because I'm venturing into new territory? Was it because I was crossing that line of separation that I've always had? Why was I feeling that way?
Maybe it had to do with the fact that I told my parents I was picking up a person from the Greyhound Station. It would have been nice if they didn't question me further, but they asked me, "How do you know this person?"
"I've met this person online", I replied. "How do you know this person isn't crazy? You know this can be dangerous," responded my parents. "Oh come on, it's Christian Chat. It's going to be just fine," I answered. After that response, I walked away and went back into my room. But somehow, in my mind, I knew my parents didn't like the idea. I was even anticipating that my parents would try to stop me in picking up Pineapple from the bus station. I told my parents that he would arrive at 8:15am.
However, God had different plans. It turns out that Pineapple was coming in an hour earlier, so I ended up leaving earlier than scheduled. After I came to the station and picked up Pineapple, my phone was blowing up from my parents. I knew what they were thinking, so I didn't respond. Maybe my unresponsive behavior was a mistake because all they were doing was being concerned for my safety, but from my point of view, they weren't respecting my intelligence or my decision in evaluating good character. In other words, my parents were being overly concerned about it, and I didn't want to argue with them about whether or not meeting a person online was a good idea. All I was thinking, was making Pineapple feel comfortable on his first day in California.
Anyway, I finally reached Long Beach with Pineapple and decided to call my parents from Carls Jr. We both hadn't eaten anything that morning, so we figured we'd get something to eat. Pineapple had a strawberry milkshake while I had a breakfast burrito... YUM! After we finished ordering, I called my mom and I told her, "I think your overly concerned. I'm in Long Beach and at Carls Jr." "But I thought you weren't coming back when you left" responded my Mom. "What do you mean I wasn't coming back! Ofcourse I was coming back. He's going to hang out with us over at West Covina during our family gathering." After my mom heard that response, she said, "okay," and we both hung up the phone.
In my mind, I couldn't help but feel that maybe it was a mistake in picking up Pineapple because I felt a conflict between me and my parents ensuing. I never really had conflicts with my parents. We're totally cool like Peanut Butter and Jelly or like Batman and Robin. I could've just told Pineapple that I couldn't pick him up at the station. But in my heart, I couldn't help but feel that God wanted me to do something. God wanted me to be hospitable, just as Abraham was hospitable to the three people that came to his home in Genesis 18. Besides, Pineapple doesn't have family in California, so as a Christian brother, I gotta let him know that I'm his family in Christ jesus. How will the world know that we are His disciples if we do not have love for one another (John 13:35)? So I did the right thing, and I followed God in showing Pineapple around.
I took Pineapple to my church that day, and we both had a great time. Pineapple got to meet my church family and also my parents! Praise the Lord, my parents were super awesome that day. They made Pineapple feel welcomed and my friends there also did the same. Now that's what I'm talking about. A true church always makes other believers feel welcomed. I was having a fantastic day until I ran into a road block with one of my friends. I was talking to my friend, Arjay, about Pineapple. I told him that he was a Christian, but he lives with his Muslim family. Arjay said, "Woah, that's tough." "Tell me about it," I replied. Then Arjay asked me, "How did you meet him?"
"I met him online," I responded. "Oh." And then there was this awkward silence. I felt myself blushing. Was I embarassed for making a new friend online? What's going on inside of me? Online people are real people too, and yet somehow, I'm feeling embarassed that I made a new friend online. Again, I started feeing that picking up Pineapple was a bad idea.
However, God had different plans and as soon as I got Pineapple to try some of the Filipino food we had after church service, then those feelings were gone again.
After church, we spent the whole day laughing in conversation and hanging out with my family at West Covina. We didn't go out much because Sunday usually ties me down with Church obligations. But through it all, God knew how to make a lemon of a situation into... "grape juice" (Thanks Grace!). It turns out my family was liking Pineapple, and that he wasn't such a bad guy after all.
And it also turns out that meeting people online isn't such a bad idea, and making friends online is as real as making friends in real life. At the end of the day, I'm glad I got to meet Pineapple and I'm thankful that God knows how to give the gift of friendship between His children.
So am I much more cooler online? I doubt it. I was never cool in real life, so what makes me cool online? I think the reason why I lost my cool within my mind was the fact that I separated online life and real life, and for the first time in my life, I was beginning to merge these two lives together and not see the difference at all. Now that I've convinced my mind of these things, I think I can cope with how people might feel about what I realize for myself. People will look at me strangely that I'm actually meeting people online and becoming friends with them. But that's okay. I don't need to prove to other people that I can make strangers into friends in real life as well as making strangers to friends online.
A friend is a friend, whether I know you in person or I only know you online. Because now I know, they're really not that different.
On Sunday, June 28th 2009 I met Pineapple, a CC member, for the very first time in person. I don't think I've ever personally met ANYONE in real life. Somehow in my mind, I separate my online life and my actual life. When I separate these two lives, I don't become less genuine online than I am in real life. I'm still the same person on cam and the same person when anyone meets me in person.
However, I couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous when I picked up Pineapple from the Greyhound Bus Station in Los Angeles. I found myself planning on what to say, instead of letting things fly when I go on CC chat. I even felt something within me that I might be doing the wrong thing in meeting an online person. Why did I feel that way?
Was it because I'm venturing into new territory? Was it because I was crossing that line of separation that I've always had? Why was I feeling that way?
Maybe it had to do with the fact that I told my parents I was picking up a person from the Greyhound Station. It would have been nice if they didn't question me further, but they asked me, "How do you know this person?"
"I've met this person online", I replied. "How do you know this person isn't crazy? You know this can be dangerous," responded my parents. "Oh come on, it's Christian Chat. It's going to be just fine," I answered. After that response, I walked away and went back into my room. But somehow, in my mind, I knew my parents didn't like the idea. I was even anticipating that my parents would try to stop me in picking up Pineapple from the bus station. I told my parents that he would arrive at 8:15am.
However, God had different plans. It turns out that Pineapple was coming in an hour earlier, so I ended up leaving earlier than scheduled. After I came to the station and picked up Pineapple, my phone was blowing up from my parents. I knew what they were thinking, so I didn't respond. Maybe my unresponsive behavior was a mistake because all they were doing was being concerned for my safety, but from my point of view, they weren't respecting my intelligence or my decision in evaluating good character. In other words, my parents were being overly concerned about it, and I didn't want to argue with them about whether or not meeting a person online was a good idea. All I was thinking, was making Pineapple feel comfortable on his first day in California.
Anyway, I finally reached Long Beach with Pineapple and decided to call my parents from Carls Jr. We both hadn't eaten anything that morning, so we figured we'd get something to eat. Pineapple had a strawberry milkshake while I had a breakfast burrito... YUM! After we finished ordering, I called my mom and I told her, "I think your overly concerned. I'm in Long Beach and at Carls Jr." "But I thought you weren't coming back when you left" responded my Mom. "What do you mean I wasn't coming back! Ofcourse I was coming back. He's going to hang out with us over at West Covina during our family gathering." After my mom heard that response, she said, "okay," and we both hung up the phone.
In my mind, I couldn't help but feel that maybe it was a mistake in picking up Pineapple because I felt a conflict between me and my parents ensuing. I never really had conflicts with my parents. We're totally cool like Peanut Butter and Jelly or like Batman and Robin. I could've just told Pineapple that I couldn't pick him up at the station. But in my heart, I couldn't help but feel that God wanted me to do something. God wanted me to be hospitable, just as Abraham was hospitable to the three people that came to his home in Genesis 18. Besides, Pineapple doesn't have family in California, so as a Christian brother, I gotta let him know that I'm his family in Christ jesus. How will the world know that we are His disciples if we do not have love for one another (John 13:35)? So I did the right thing, and I followed God in showing Pineapple around.
I took Pineapple to my church that day, and we both had a great time. Pineapple got to meet my church family and also my parents! Praise the Lord, my parents were super awesome that day. They made Pineapple feel welcomed and my friends there also did the same. Now that's what I'm talking about. A true church always makes other believers feel welcomed. I was having a fantastic day until I ran into a road block with one of my friends. I was talking to my friend, Arjay, about Pineapple. I told him that he was a Christian, but he lives with his Muslim family. Arjay said, "Woah, that's tough." "Tell me about it," I replied. Then Arjay asked me, "How did you meet him?"
"I met him online," I responded. "Oh." And then there was this awkward silence. I felt myself blushing. Was I embarassed for making a new friend online? What's going on inside of me? Online people are real people too, and yet somehow, I'm feeling embarassed that I made a new friend online. Again, I started feeing that picking up Pineapple was a bad idea.
However, God had different plans and as soon as I got Pineapple to try some of the Filipino food we had after church service, then those feelings were gone again.
After church, we spent the whole day laughing in conversation and hanging out with my family at West Covina. We didn't go out much because Sunday usually ties me down with Church obligations. But through it all, God knew how to make a lemon of a situation into... "grape juice" (Thanks Grace!). It turns out my family was liking Pineapple, and that he wasn't such a bad guy after all.
And it also turns out that meeting people online isn't such a bad idea, and making friends online is as real as making friends in real life. At the end of the day, I'm glad I got to meet Pineapple and I'm thankful that God knows how to give the gift of friendship between His children.
So am I much more cooler online? I doubt it. I was never cool in real life, so what makes me cool online? I think the reason why I lost my cool within my mind was the fact that I separated online life and real life, and for the first time in my life, I was beginning to merge these two lives together and not see the difference at all. Now that I've convinced my mind of these things, I think I can cope with how people might feel about what I realize for myself. People will look at me strangely that I'm actually meeting people online and becoming friends with them. But that's okay. I don't need to prove to other people that I can make strangers into friends in real life as well as making strangers to friends online.
A friend is a friend, whether I know you in person or I only know you online. Because now I know, they're really not that different.
