Rick Warren's Daily DevotionalSample

How to Connect with People One of the deepest needs God created in us is the need to connect with other people. We all desperately need to feel that somebody can feel what we're feeling and understand what we're thinking. One study by the California Department of Health Mental found that if you're disconnected from other people - You're two-to-three times more likely to die an early death; You're four times more likely to suffer from emotional burnout; You're five times more likely to suffer clinical depression, and; You're ten times more likely to be hospitalized for an emotional or mental disorder. We need human connections for physical, emotional, spiritual health. Learning how to connect with people on a heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul level is one of life's most important skills. The first principle for connecting with people is this: Be courageous and take the initiative! Don't wait on somebody else to connect with you. You must take the initiative to connect with them. This often takes courage. Why? Because when we're full of fear and anxiety, we don't get close to each other. In fact, we back off from each other. We're afraid of being rejected, manipulated, hurt, or used.