In a
recent TED talk, New York Times best-selling author Johann Hari
makes the case
that, “The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is
connection”.
While
not denying the chemical and physical causes of addition, he
states that,
“Human beings have a natural and innate need to bond. And when we are happy and
healthy, we’ll bond
and connect with each other. But
if you
can’t do that – because you’re traumatized or isolated or beaten
down by life –
you will bond with something that will give you some sense of
relief. Now that might be
gambling, that might be
pornography, that might be cocaine, that might be cannabis, but
you will bond
and connect with something because that is our nature, that’s what
we want as
human beings”.
If
that
is true, then the church should be a powerful place for change and
hope,
because connection is at the heart of what we do. We are to love and encourage
one another (Romans
13:8; 2 Corinthians 13:11). Kindness
and
compassion should be words that describe our fellowship (Ephesians
4:32). Most importantly,
we should be able to, “Confess
your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed”
(James 5:16).
However,
in my experience, that does not always happen.
When was the last time you had anyone confess anything to
you? When was the last
time you asked anyone to
pray for you in a very specific way?
Often
our relationships are too shallow, so we rarely get past taking
about the
weather or replying, “I am fine” when asked, “How are you?” We like those we worship
with, but we do not
trust them enough to be honest. They
are
close, but not close enough.
What
if
we worked at changing that?
You
could
be a force for good in someone’s life.
You could encourage and build others up emotionally and
spiritually (1
Thessalonians 5:11). You
could create
relationships where it was safe to share your struggles knowing
that others
would love and pray for you. To
a lost
and lonely world, a group of people who really love God and really
care about
one another might just be the most attractive thing they have ever
seen.
However,
that would take a new level of openness, effort and trust.
Surface
level connection will not do.
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