Doing life together is what we are called to. We are meant to be in community. We are meant to spur each other on toward love. I, however, am not very good at it. For me, it is very one sided. It’s easy to be there for someone else. That comes naturally. It’s reaching out myself that is more challenging.
I tend to keep struggles, difficulties, pain and the like to myself until I can’t hold it in any longer. I may share with my husband, but even then it has been building for awhile. I’m more likely to post about a struggle here than call a friend. In fact, I can go months without calling close friends or my sisters. In my head, I know we are in this together, and I would drop everything for them. Reaching out myself is a work in progress. Admission is the first step.
It was an extremely hot and oppressively humid day. It was even too hot to golf. I called my pal. My heart knew I needed connection. It was the perfect day to spend two and a half hours floating down the river. Endless conversation filled the time. The crabbiness that started the day faded away. She let me share all that was weighing heavy on my heart. She reminded me of the goodness of God. She holds me accountable to what God is calling me to do. I can only hope that I do the same for her. I hope she knows we are in this together.
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV).
We are in this together. We are to spur each other on toward love. I let busyness and the “to dos” take over until I’m too exhausted for other people. Then weeks go by without connecting. I miss out on an important part of nurturing the soul. Life is draining. It becomes difficult to keep moving forward. We need each other for a multitude of reasons. We need to be in this together.
Who are your go to people? How often do you connect with them? Is it in person or digital? Do you have others to encourage you and hold you accountable? How do you stay connected? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.