The Importance of Staying Connected

If you’re anything like me, you often wish there were more hours in the day. If, only, I had a few more hours to work with, then I’d have time to return phone calls, hang out a little, or catch up with that friend I haven’t talked to in a while. Recently, though, I had to ask myself… Are there really not enough hours in the day, or am I just not managing the time I have very well? It’s easy to make time to do the things we need to do, but in doing those things, it’s, also, easy to back burner spending much needed time with friends.

We all get caught up in the “things” of life sometimes. Meetings, assignments, bills, ect… Being connected to all these things at once can be all consuming of our time, not to mention exhausting. Before you realize it, your personal relationships begin to suffer from a lack of attention. Because we are caught up in these things on a daily basis, we tend to assume that our friends are as well. At the very least, we expect them to understand why we don’t have time to hang out or have lengthy phone conversations like we used to. It’s easy to become so consumed with our own “things” that we forget the importance of staying connected to the relationships we have with the people we love.

Staying connected is important. When things in your life get to be overwhelming or difficult, the first thing the devil does is try to isolate you. He wants you to think that you are alone. He wants you to believe that nobody else has ever been where you are and, therefore, could not possibly understand what you are going through. The devil is a liar! Every friend in your life has been placed there strategically. Every person has a purpose. Staying connected to each person is essential, not just for you, but for them.

My Pastor often speaks to us about reaching beyond ourselves. So many times, we get so self-absorbed in the problems, trials, and obstacles we face at any given moment, that we become too busy to reach out to friends. I, personally, have been guilty of disconnecting because, in my mind, the only problems I have time to deal with are my own. This is the opposite of what God intended. God wants us to stay connected so that we can encourage each other. Reach beyond yourself to encourage a friend, I guarantee you that, in doing so, you will find yourself encouraged. Don’t be too busy to stay connected to your friends. Remember, you need them just as much as they need you.