SOCIAL MAINTENANCE

Don't get too close to people who don't like, trust or respect you. Also, with people who are dishonest or who take you for granted. Why?

You'll be exposing yourself to the unnecessary and avoidable risk of emotional, physical, social, financial or religious abuse. And you'll be wasting your time and theirs.

Be bold and tell yourself this truth: you're really not friends. 

Authentic friendship is symbiotic, mutual, reciprocal.

Be nice and good to them from a distance but don't bring them into your close circle of friends. Don't assume anything, especially not friendship. Be sure.

You see, people use social media for different reasons. It could either be for ethical or unethical business and social networking. 

So, some people are looking to get clients, to promote a product or service, to get popular, to share personal or general information with their social circles, to get their message to the world, to connect with old and new friends, etc.

Define your reason for using social media. 

Determine the platforms that you need. Stick to what works for you and your purpose, not what and why everyone is doing what they're doing.

Feel free to stay from certain apps or tools you don't need and to take some people off your friends list or stop following some pages, if you're uncomfortable with them in relation to "your purpose for being on social media". No hard feelings, really.

Yes, some people will not be psychologically strong enough to take it well or to act without the impulse of conflict or rage. But people need to be constantly growing, right? It's simply a growth opportunity.

If it's your page, then it's your prerogative. Especially if it's a private or privately sponsored page and not a publicly sponsored page. You opened it and you can shut it down if it is detrimental to you, and it can be in different ways. 

It could simply be part of pruning your social life.

You see, a tree needs to be pruned periodically to make it more fruitful and productive. You take away things that can hamper its sustained or increased fruitfulness. 

Plus, there's a time for everything. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. And we know seasons do change.

Honestly, I won't be upset if a person takes me off their social media list. I'd respect their decision. It will even be one less person to concern myself with. If I think it was in error, I will engage them personally and seek clarification and possible redress.

I take friendships seriously not casually. For me, friendship should be mutual, wholesome and retain a healthy level of trust. 

I may be anything but shallow. I always want to go for the real deal, whether it's with religion, returns (on time and money investment) or relationships. 

Plus, there's already an overload of information we have to deal with: posts, pages, status updates, news feed, links, resources. A little less of all that will help simplify your life. You want to trim it down to essentials for your life and eternal destiny.

Bottom-line, you make your choices. 

Choose your social circle. Be intentional. Be authentic. Be engaging. Don't be passive, indifferent or mediocre with your relationships. Be a friend or don't be. Just like be married or don't be. 

With me, it's zero tolerance for mediocrity or make believe.

Then learn to preserve your peace. Learn to respect your person and your purpose. Learn to eliminate toxic materials including thoughts and tangible matter from your emotional and social system just like you remove toxins from your body system. 

It's not disrespect. It's self-respect. It's not malice. It's maintenance. And social maintenance requires social intelligence. 

Learn to disconnect from every form of negative energy. Have zero tolerance for the presence of enthroned darkness and chronic pettiness. 

Live a life of peace, purpose and personal power. Stay on your power lane. Bond with wholesomeness. 

Maintain a spirit of love, power and sound mind. Choose what and who you see and listen to. What you don't see, hear and focus your mental and emotional energies on cease to exist for you and has no power over you.

But do it wisely and objectively so you don't dismiss truth and good reason. Be ready also to bear the consequences of your choice. Do it in good faith, from a good conscience and with good intentions never in spite, contempt, disrespect, vengeance, malice, wrath, bitterness or any such traits of darkness. 

Just don't be truth intolerant. Your heart, if it still works right, will tell you the difference. So you won't be caught in the trap of self-deception and error justification.

However, be ready to reconcile and reconnect. Be quick to forgive and apologize. Beware of being a practitioner and perpetrator of evil and injustice. Beware of evil speaking and the devil-may-care attitude. 

Walk conscientiously. Again, let conscience judge you, if it has not been seared as with iron from a hardened society and is still tender, functional and sensitive to God's Spirit within.

This I know: Everyone will repent. But for many it will be too late, when the curtain has been drawn on time. 

Selah.