SEEKING CONNECTION? WHY YOU NEED TO START WITH GOD

Most of us have a strong desire to know others and be known by them. From where does this longing come? Where is the best place to start when seeking connection?

CONNECTION SERIES

Welcome to AT THE CROSSROADS! Last week I started a blog series on CONNECTION by addressing WHY WE FEEL SO DISCONNECTED IN A CONNECTED WORLD. That post generated a lot of thoughtful discussions and insightful observations! And I learned something very valuable about all of YOU from those comments and interactions–you need, value, and long to connect in real and meaningful ways.

And many of you accepted my challenge to be CONNECTORS. People who are willing to invest in:

• Meaningful conversation
• Authentic collaboration
• Mutual consideration

One of the core beliefs of AT THE CROSSROADS is that God created all of us for connection and community, so I welcome you to this space, hoping that this will be a safe place for those of you who are seeking authentic and meaningful connections.

GOD GAVE US A LONGING TO CONNECT

I believe God built this need for connection into our DNA because we are made in His image.

Without giving a long, theological explanation here, I need to take the time to stop and talk about one of the oldest doctrines of Christian theology: the doctrine of the Trinity.

Please hang in there with me on this one! I think it explains so much about the core of connection and why we so desperately need and search for it throughout our lives.

The Nicene Creed (c. AD 325) explains the Trinity this way (some of you will recognize this!):

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God, begotten…

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified.

So why is it important to know and understand a triune God? The Trinity means that God himself exists in community. His very nature is community and connection. One God, three persons.

How this works is a profound mystery (as the Bible tells us), but we cannot ignore the basic fact that before the world existed and human life began, there was God dwelling in perfect harmony.

In the book of Genesis, this triune God says, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26). (Notice the pronouns there…very important!)  Since we were created in the image of God, we too were designed with an innate need to connect and a yearning to exist within the context of community.

The only time God declared that something was not good was in Genesis 2:18, “…’It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’”   So even if we have struggled to connect with others or have not found the community we desire, God’s intention for us is to live and thrive within the context of caring and committed relationships.

WHY WE FEEL DISCONNECTED FROM GOD

If God is the creator, source, and sustainer of all CONNECTION, it makes sense that we need to start with our relationship with him, right? We must recognize how our vertical relationship with God impacts our horizontal relationships with others.

Last week we learned about the feelings we can experience when our connections are only transactional: empty, exhausted, lost, and anxious. But what about when we feel separated, detached, and isolated from God? All of us have experienced this at some point in our lives or are dealing with it right now.

Why?

Because we are broken and fallen people. Since the first significant disconnect happened in the Garden of Eden when humans experienced broken relationships with God and each other, we have been trying to find ways to reconnect.

Paul explains in Romans that our sin and disobedience have created a barrier between God and us:

No one is righteous—
    not even one.
No one is truly wise;
    no one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
    all have become useless.
No one does good,
    not a single one.”

Romans 3:10-12 (NLT)

If this is true, what hope do we have of ever connecting with a good, holy, and just God?

HOW JESUS CONNECTS US TO GOD

The only way we can reconnect our souls to the one who created us for CONNECTION is through Jesus. Through his life and death, Jesus makes a way by bridging the chasm that exists between us and God.

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT CONNECTING WITH GOD

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

Romans 5:6-11 (NLT)

And the best news? Once we are reconnected to God through faith in Jesus, nothing can separate us. No disconnection. Ever.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

GOD WANTS TO CONNECT WITH YOU

So if you are feeling disconnected today, take some time to consider your connection with God seriously.

• Do you have a longing in your soul that nothing seems to satisfy?
• Do you yearn for more meaning and purpose in your life?
• Do you wonder how God could ever have a relationship with you?

If you are serious in your search for CONNECTION, the best place to start where faith and life intersect. If you know you want and need to reconnect with God but do not know how to start, please contact me! It would be my privilege to show you how and provide you with some free resources to begin this process.

LET ME HELP YOU RECONNECT WITH GOD

If you are encouraged by this post and want to continue to learn how to connect with God and others, please consider becoming an email subscriber. You will receive all the posts in this CONNECTION blog series, free faith resources, and opportunities to meet and collaborate.