There are times in my life when I have so much going on that I forget to connect with those I care most about and who care most about me. Yes, the phone and email and text and flares and strings attached to little cups work both ways… but why do we disconnect? How come I get so focused on my own “stuff” that I don’t reach out? Almost all of my family is far away. However, many of my closest friends are far away, too. So, no excuses.

And then, there are times like now, where I feel more loved and connected than I have in a long time! Lunches, dinners, pool parties, walks, airport runs, even helping a friend pack because she is moving, and I just want to spend time with her. It was so nice to get messages & calls for my birthday last month, too.

Connecting with those we know and who know us is a grounding experience. God tells us over and over how important it is to have great friends in our lives:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up… Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12)

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 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 10:24-25)

These are just a few Scriptures that have impacted me. What stands out the most to you? How do you stay connected to your friends and family?

I don’t know about you, but it just fills my heart when someone reaches out to me out of the blue and says “Hey… how are you doing? What’s new? I miss you. Let’s get together!”