Loneliness 5: Connecting

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:16

Noted Christian Psychologist and author Larry Crabb dropped a bomb on the Christian Counseling profession with the release of his book Connecting. In it he explains that the underlying reason that more Americans are going to professionals to fix damaged psyches is what he refers to as disconnected souls. That sounds a lot like the concept of loneliness. The shocking thing is that Crabb suggests that professional soulcare is NOT the answer, but he prescribes a soul “nourishment” that “only a community of connected people can offer.” I’ll let Dr. Crabb explain…

“I have strong reason to suspect that Christians sitting dutifully in church congregations, for whom “going to church” means doing a variety of spiritual activities, have been given resources that if released could powerfully heal broken hearts, overcome the damage done by abusive backgrounds, encourage the depressed to courageously move forwards, stimulate the lonely to reach out, revitalize discouraged teens and children with new and holy energy, and introduce hope into the lives of the countless people who feel rejected, alone, and useless. Maybe “going to church,” more than anything else, means relating to several people in your life differently. Maybe the center of Christian community is connecting with a few.” (Crabb, Larry. Connecting. 1997. The W Publishing Group, Nashville, xiii.)

It is most likely that every Sunday you are surrounded by lonely people, or as Crabb says disconnected souls. They come to church to find healing, or acceptance, or forgiveness or true companionship. The apostle Paul says the church should function so in sync with the needs of its members that is functions like a human body. A healthy body works together in everything that it does... there should be no disconnection.

Is your soul being nourished by a few others that you really connect with? Pray that God would guide you to enter into a connected community. Or if you are in such a connected community now, consider inviting other disconnected souls into yours.