Craving Connection

I shared a devotion at Spring Brunch by Renee Swope, a writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries. Here are a few excerpts:

"Do you ever catch yourself checking email repeatedly? One morning I checked my email as soon as I woke up, after breakfast, after my devotional time and again when I got home from running errands....

I was going back for a reason and I sensed the Holy Spirit nudging me, 'You keep coming back because your heart longs for connection with a friend.'

Somewhere in the busyness of life I had let many of my friendships reduce to quick connections via email all in an effort to find balance from a life that was too busy. But I realized I had not found balance; the pendulum had swung too far the other way.

Now I know friendships are not easy to build. They take time. And time is limited, but in this age of technology, it is important to evaluate things in our lives that create a false sense of connection like email, television, text messaging and facebook. Although these are okay in moderation, they can't substitute for real-life relationships."Renee's words struck a cord with me because I don't find myself spending much time with friends - for fun. I spend time leading meetings and coordinating Carelink with friends, but it's not the same as getting together for coffee one-on-one. Or gathering for dinner with a small group of friends.

I'm also guilty of checking my emails and facebook page much too often on some days. I know it's for the same reasons Renee shared in her devotional. I'm longing for more connection in my own life, too. (It's a little humbling to admit that!) And it makes me wonder how many of us are secretly longing for that friend who we can call at anytime, for anything.

That friend who would love to come over for a last-minute playdate.

That friend who already knows the crummy stuff in your life and still loves you.

That friend you can invite over regardless of the dirty dishes and toy-strewn living room.

Carelink has been a great place for us all to connect and meet face-to-face, but as summer approaches, I hope we all will find other opportunities to keep meeting whether through the Carelink activities or each of us calling up a friend and making a date! Shall I leave you my phone number :-)

Tiffany