The Importance of Connection

Recently I was sending a text to someone who’d had their feathers ruffled by a mutual friend.

I’d previously shared some of my thoughts on the matter and the person was feeling better about the situation and felt like she’d ‘snapped back’ to her normal self.  She expressed her awareness that the situation caused her previous tendency of people-pleasing and shutting down when faced with opposition to rise up inside of her a little. 

I typed out my message to read, “Have you talked to FRIEND at all?” And then the next line was encouraging connection.

But then it hit me. (Thanks Holy Spirit!)

I hadn’t actually encouraged connection with my question at all. Not even subconsciously. And yes, it is just as important to foster connection consciously AND subconsciously. 

Look at this this way - 

When someone makes you mad, offends you, lightly ruffles your feathers, or causes a broken habit to rear it’s head, you likely DON’T want to go to the person and address the thing that happened. We don’t usually want to TALK TO the person and what happens in those hours and days of staying in that place of offense, we lose the desire to right the situation or get understanding. I’ve seen this in myself and my kids over the years and every time the relationship leans toward connection, the results are the same. 

Catch that. It’s not about TALKING TO the person who offended you, it’s about CONNECTING WITH the person who offended you. Seek to get understanding of the situation. Hear their side and share yours. Allow your hearts to connect so that the relationship can heal and grow.

So many times I’ve seen wedges grow between two people and the times that they’ve met, discussed, and shared their perspectives about what happened - everything changed.

Friend, it’s no different with our Heavenly Father. 

When life happens and we get offended because of what God did or didn’t do and we allow time to go by without connecting with Him about it, a wedge will grow. Separation will happen. And the Enemy is right there celebrating the whole thing because in that space you will view going to your Father as “talking to” and not “connecting with.” 

I mean, tell me, can you hear yourself in your tantrum-throwing-toddler voice saying, “I don’t WANT to go TALK TO GOD because I’m ANGRY! He…xyz!” 

But try saying this, “I don’t want to connect with God because I’m angry!” 

Now I don't know how you said that, you may have still meant every word but with less emphasis or you may have softened your tone, but regardless, you put words to what we’re actually talking about.

If you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior and you know that God is your Heavenly Father and apart from Him you can’t do anything, then you know that God needs to be your source. He is your power source. There has to be connection for that relationship to be bi-directional. We have to plug in. We have to connect.

No matter where you are right now or how long it’s been since you’ve connected with God, connection is important. It’s necessary. You may be angry, you may be offended, but deep down, I hope you know that God is the only one who can change and heal any of the pain and offense that you’re carrying.

Take some time to CONNECT WITH your Heavenly Father today.