Finding My Way Home: A Journey to Discover Hope and a Life of PurposeSample

Connection is Essential

Loneliness is its own kind of pandemic. When we’re alone with our thoughts or emotions too long, we can quickly go off track. Even if people are all around us, we can lack the emotional and relational benefit if the relationships aren’t life-giving.

God places the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6). It may not be what we call “immediate” family, but God will provide when we open ourselves to relationships. God wants us to bring Him our loneliness and let Him fill that void. He also wants us to have relationships with other believers as He uses them to teach and grow us. Are we open to His provision? Are we noticing those around us?

When my brother and I were young and living on our own, we were in survival mode. We started a landscaping business to make ends meet, and we had our heads and hands to the plow. However, something happened in those years that I didn’t recognize until much later. Good, godly people surrounded and cared for us from a distance in ways we could not see or even understand at the time. Neighbors and church people looked after us. God taught us, protected us, and provided for us through His people.

If you find yourself in that lonely place, I want to encourage you. God loves you and has a plan for you. He has people for you. He intends to care for us, directly and through His people. So ask Him to help you build relationships with the people around you. Your family, workplace, and church hold opportunities for the companionship and love you want and need.

If you have these key people in your life, make a point to notice them around you. For example, a friend taught me to put ten dimes in one pocket, and every time I connected with someone, I would move one dime to the other. The goal was to move all the dimes by the end of the day.

Connection with others is essential, but it isn’t always easy.

God’s plan is for us to live arm-in-arm with Him and people. He never intended for us to be alone.

How can you take steps toward connection today?