I am a person that tries to be intentional about my connections with people but sometimes there are just to many people to keep up with. It is not always easy to be intentional and requires effort, time, and energy and if you are reading this and I have not connected with you recently I am sorry. Facebook has been a great tool for me to connect with old and new friends and at least stay some what updated on what is happening in the lives of others that I care about. So needless to say I thought I might try my hand at blogging for those of you that may be interested in what I am up to, just another way to be intentional about connections. I will try to do at least one blog a month with thoughts, life happenings, ministry, or whatever else I feel like writing. I am just playing with Word Press at the moment so we will see if I stick with it or if I find a better interface that I like better.
Posted by Anonymous on October 12, 2009 at 7:57 pm
DMW, interesting thoughts… I would definitely agree with you, there are too many people to connect with. And I think that’s the way God intended it to be.
“A man of too many friends comes to ruin…” Proverbs 18:24
I think it all comes down to time. We only have so much of it, and there are certain necesities that must be dealt with to keep our physical, mental, spiritual and psychological health from coming to ruin. After those are taken care of, how much time is left for others? An even smaller amount.
So, then… friends… how many? Well, that depends on how close you are to them. If you actually going to be intentional with them and invest in them, then it’s going to take more time per friend, which means… fewer friends. Which again is what I think God intended. If you look back at Moses, when he was being mediator/judge for all of Israel, what was happening to him?
“The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” Exodus 18:17-18
So, what happened? Others had to step up to help out. That’s what I think God intends. For each of us to develop a few deep and meaningful friendships, and for us to be in a community where others are doing the same, so that noone is missed.
However, I think that there are those who do not live their lives as intentionaly, so some are left to fend for themselves… which is a sad thing, but definitely not your sole responsibility, as it was not Moses’ sole responsibility.
You’re a great guy and a great friend, but I wouldn’t worry about not getting together with people intentionally. They should be seeking out more than 1 person to live their lives with intentionally.
You rock DMW.
Posted by dantheman1981 on October 12, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Thanks for the comment. I agree in that I have a lot of connections/ people that I want to stay in touch with on some level but when it comes to good friends I do have my core of which I am thankful. With the creation of facebook it is funny that we can now categorize people as simply facebook friends. It is easy and often does not take much intentionality. There are even those that simply try to get as many facebook friends as they can as if it is a competition. We are meant to live in the context of community with others, challenging each other to grow spiritually, mentally, and maybe even to stay physically healthy.
As in the case of Moses I do find myself at times trying to take on the world by myself but then coming to realization that I need people, we all need people. Thanks for the affirmation and thoughts.