Nov 22nd, 2020: God is Relational

 


This is the first Christmas we don't have two of our kids home. Covid-19 is such an evil thing. It has destroyed our freedom and ability to gather together in worship. It has robbed away the most meaningful time for many families at Christmas. It has created so many challenges for us to be with families and loved ones when needed. We just love to have our kids home for Christmas.

This was the first time in my life that I did a funeral for a family member and we could not gather together afterwards. It went against the dynamic of grieving. I felt rather strange saying goodbye to a niece at the graveside. She was very close to my dad and I knew she needed to talk. What killed me was that I would love to hug many of them, but I couldn't. 

This trip was the first time I flew since March. I love to travel to see places and to catch up with friends. Travelling has been how I keep up with old friendships and discover new places at the same time. I have met many people but only keep a few as friends. Some of these friendships are soul friendships.  That was also strange to come back to a city where I know quite a few people and ended up seeing no one.

To be a relational being is to be of God's image. God is relational within Himself. Loneliness is hard because it is not how we are wired together. Social distancing is foreign to us because it goes against our guts. We just need to be more intentional about caring for people if this pandemic keeps dragging on. There will be more people who are going to suffer badly because of emotional isolation and mental illness than the pandemic itself.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13: 34




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