Connection is Key

The first malediction in the Judeo-Christian scriptures occurs in the second chapter of Genesis. In chapter 1, everything is deemed good and very good by God. Then in chapter 2, we see that the first man is missing something. He has all he needs in the physical realm (food, safety, shelter), he has a vertical relationship with God, he has the companionship of the animals. Yet, God declares it is NOT good, for the first man has no horizontal relationships. He has no peer, no partner, no person to walk side-by-side, hand-in-hand. Humanity is created for connection from the very beginning. This is just as true today, yet somehow, even with the vast proliferation of communicative technology, people are more disconnected than ever. This is troubling when we need healing - depression, addiction, trauma, fears, anxieties - all are healed within the context of relationships. Don’t do it on your own. 

If we read the Bible carefully, we will see that God tends to work through processes and people. What do I mean by this? When we look at the many examples of change and transformation in the Bible, the norm is that these people are transformed by God through the mediation of other people. Whether it be repentance, healing, transformation of character, growth in faith, God tends to accomplish this in people’s lives through the faith, love, input of others. In other words, God works through people in the context of relationships to heal and transform people. In conjunction with this, God tends to work through processes to change and transform people - the common experiences of our lives, the flow of history, even the natural world - God uses these to influence and change people. But beyond this, change and transformation tends to be a process, which occurs over time, not in a single quantum leap forward. God prepares David to be king over a period of time and constantly refines David’s character. Paul after his miraculous conversion on the road, must still submit to the laying on of hands and baptism by another Christian. Processes and people.   Whatever you need transformation in, depression, old trauma, broken relationships, addictions, bring other people into it and be committed to the extended process in which transformation occurs. We short circuit our growth, health, and maturity when we try to do it alone and when we expend change to be quick.