Day 2
Read:
Proverbs 18:24; Romans 12:2; Hebrews 10:25; Genesis 2:18
Dig Deeper:
The internet has been both a wonderful gift and a terrible curse. It’s no stretch of the imagination to say that it has helped us to connect globally on a scale that hasn’t been possible since Babel. On the other hand, we’ve also never felt so disconnected from friends, family, and our local community. A real turning point for many of us happened in 2020 when the entire world was plunged straight into the digital sphere. It felt at that time as if the only way we could connect with anyone at all was through our keyboards. Since then, delivery services have been booming and dating apps are the new meet-cute.
In Hebrews 10:25, the writer tells us to “not neglect meeting together”. Why do you think he says that? It’s because God has wired us for connection! And, I’m not talking about connecting impersonally over a screen. We all know there’s something important that is lost when we lose the opportunity to lock eyes with someone across the table. In fact, sometimes the thing that is lost is the actual ability to lock eyes with someone as social anxiety has a sneaky way of creeping into our heads and our hearts.
When we’re no longer talking to real people with real skin on, we miss out on picking up non-verbal cues found in our body language. Did you know that 55% of our communication comes from body language? That means that it statistically becomes twice as hard to understand one another when we can’t see someone’s face! Add on top of that not being able to hear someone’s tone of voice, plus all those typos, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
We’ve been tricked into thinking that internet connections are enough, but when we take inventory of our virtual connections, we know in our hearts that it’s not enough. There’s something real, raw, and holy about IRL relationships. In fact, God said right at the very beginning after making the first man that it wasn’t good for him to be alone.
We get face-to-face with people so we can truly know and understand them, and so that we can truly be known and understood. It’s how God made us to be.
Declaration: Say this next statement out loud as a declaration of what you have learned today.
I will be intentional about making in-person connections because I know that it is how God has designed me. My friendships will be deeper and richer as I have face-to-face conversations.
Pray:
God, thank You for the way You made me—to connect with other people. Show me ways that I can do that. Help me to not just rely on my phone to make friends, but help me to see the opportunities around me to form lasting connections with people. Amen.