true connection...

"two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. but pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up."
ecclesiastes 4:9-10

i noticed that i had developed a habit of checking email repeatedly...and worse than that...checking facebook repeatedly...

one morning i checked it as soon as i woke up...then i made breakfast and checked it again...had my devotional time and checked it again..ran some errands and when i got home, checked it once more...

now, i do have a thing about keeping my emails sorted into folders or deleted...but this was much more that just managing emails...my heart was going back for a reason. i felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to pause and ask myself, "why do you keep checking?"

i sat there and let my heart respond honestly...i wasn't sure if it was God or me answering, but my soul intertwined with His Spirit whispered "you keep coming back because your heart longs to connect with a friend."

somewhere in the busyness of life i had let some of my friendships reduce to quick connections via email or facebook...over the past year my schedule had gotten full with my own loss, family needs, building my business, financial issues...that something had to give...i didn't want it to be my family and relationship with the Lord, so i asked God to help me find balance...

i'd felt Him leading me to cut back on the amount of time i spent talking on the phone, socializing with my networks, and hanging out with friends...although i hadn't completely cut out my friendships, my face-to-face connection time with my friends had been reduced to a minimum...that morning as i sat at my computer, i realized i hadn't found balance...the pendulum had swung too far...

here i was checking email and facebook repeatedly, trying to fill a God-created need for relationships with a white screen and black alphabet keys...

i knew i needed to make some adjustments to find a better place of balance, to fill the lonely place in my heart with friends i could talk to and share life with in person...

so this morning...i closed my laptop and called one of my closest friends...she happened to be available so i took some time off work to spontaneously meet her at a coffee shop and go for a nice long hike...it was just what i needed...

friendships are not easy to build...time is limited with lives that keep us so busy...but in this age of technology, it's important to evaluate things in our lives that create a false sense of connection like email, television, test messaging, and overboard activites...although these things are okay in moderation, they can't substitute real-life connections...we have to intentionally carve out time for friends that are in close proximity...times where we can share what's going on in our lives and, like the verse above says...encourage one another with what God is teaching us...long distance friendships are precious to me, but i also need friends close by...today i was reminded that there's just something in my heart that is filled when i connect with a friend in person...

God created us for relationships where we can see each other, hug each other and talk to each other face-to-face...Jesus knew this need, as well...i believe...He encircled Himself with intimate friends...first His Father, then His close friends john, peter and james and then the other nine disciples...He also had friends like mary, martha and lazarus that He spent time with sharing what He was learning from His Father, laughing and having a meal together...He modeled for us the picture and the power of connecting with friends...

so go ahead...call that friend you haven't seen for a while...connect in person...catch up...i promise...it will be time well spent...