You Got Five?

No one should have to feel alone.

It's true that in our hyper-connected, fast-paced world, I often seek "alone time" to decompress, relax, re-energize, and renew.  I think it's a healthy response to the pressure of living.  But it's very different than me feeling lonely or me perpetually being alone.

Genesis 1 & 2 the Bible tells us that God creates man in His Image and places him in the Garden of Eden. Later God says, "It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a suitable helper for him."

One of the first things God did with his newly-created man was reduce the potential of his loneliness.  Even in the time when man walked with Him in the Creation that He deemed "very good," God said that the man being alone was "not good."  Apparently, this issue was very important to God.

As His image-bearers, addressing the potential loneliness of others should be important to us.

This can be difficult.  I have mentioned that I have many congenial, low-density relationships and so I can sometimes fool myself into thinking I don't ever feel alone.  And yet, I can at certain times, feel lonely and unconnected.  I assume that if that can happen to me sometimes, it might be happening to others.

I've decided to do something about that.  I've decided to find five.

I'm going to find five people God has placed in the path of my life.  These are people I don't see every day or consider my "inner circle" but with whom I have some affinity or commonality.  I've committed to:

1) Pray for them regularly.
2) Reach out to them at least every few months and just ask them, "Hey, how's it going?"

It's possible that the person will not want or appreciate my presence in their life at all.  That's OK.

But it's also possible that they haven't had anyone ask them that question in a while.  It's possible something big is happening in their lives and that they just need someone talk to about it.  It's possible that they've not had a Christ-follower in their lives outside their pastor.  It's possible they just might be on the very edge.  It's possible they just need someone who's willing to listen to them.  It's possible they will speak wisdom and kindness into my life.  It's possible we might form a deep friendship.  So many possibilities.

"It's not good for the man to be alone."  It's possible for us to change that.

You love your five.  I'll love mine.  Let's see how that changes things.  Peace.