I can’t remember a more disconnected and at the same time highly connected time in my life. So many of the normal everyday interactions I had in the past changed to digital interactions.
I think it is safe to say while there are some big advantages to digital connections (sit on my couch, wear what I want, less driving etc) they are not as good as the original. I like the convenience but that is about it. Digital connections are better than nothing I suppose.
It reminds me of Coca Cola. Do you remember Classic Coke and New Coke…google it if it was before your time. Coke tried to tell us they had something new, improved and better. Turns out they didn’t. People threw such a fit they had to bring back the original fast, eventually New Coke went away and no one cared.
People seem to be starting to feel this way about having mostly only digital connections. Digital won’t go away, but it can’t take the place of real people and physical connections.
All of this jumped out at me last week when I visited a few of my neighbor. I was leaving them a card letting them know I was praying for them.
You can download one HERE, give it to your neighbor or co-worker or friend. You should do this, it will make an impact on them!
I only got to speak to one neighbor, caught him in the driveway. I hadn’t heard from him in a while. We use to talk all the time because he was always outside but he has been locked down because of his wife’s health for almost a year.
He wasn’t bottoming out but he wasn’t doing well either. The death of a co-worker and the length of the lockdown was closing in on him. It was also only a few days away from the anniversary of the death of his best friend. He was struggling.
I was honored he shared what he did, he let me back stage. I couldn’t help but think about the recent message at Mt Ridge where Jesus spoke with a woman at the well in Samaria. You can watch it here if you missed it.
He has always been quick to talk about controversy, make comparisons and point out all the religious confusion whenever things turned slightly spiritual. But not that day.
That day, in the middle of his struggle, it actually seemed to help him to know I was praying for him. It was also a big deal for him to talk with person in front of him who wasn’t his wife or son.
I learned something from that conversation or maybe relearned it. Checking in on people means more than I would suspect and building a relationship does take some effort.
This simple conversation had an impact on me and I think it was important to my neighbor as
well.
Are there some people in your life you haven’t heard from lately? It is easy to get swallowed up in all that is going on and lose track. Our patterns and daily habits have changed both how we connect and how often we connect with others.
Today may be a great day to re-connect. If at all possible I would encourage you to do it in person. You can stay a few feet away if need be. If it has been a while, you may not be sure what to say. I am happy to give you a couple of questions I have found to be helpful.
“Hey, I haven’t heard from you in a while, how are you doin….really?”
“What is your biggest hurdle right now?”
Who knows where the conversation will go, but if you do sense an opportunity to talk about spiritual things, I have one other suggestion
“Where do you think God is in all this?”
It is easier to wait for someone to check on you. It is more comfortable to stay in your lane. But then again conversations like the one I had remind me, people need to know someone cares.
Go be a someone.
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