Thursday, August 9, 2012

Created to Connect

Joining with Five Minute Friday in a fun, creative exercise. Gotta love this community. Today's word?

CONNECT

I stood on a gilded floor, the ceiling stretched over my head. I imagined Michelangelo's passion, his fervor to finish the Sistine Chapel, a masterpiece. In the center, two hands extend toward one another, never quite touching, but I could taste the desire. I resisted the urge to add mine to the mix.


It is said that the two men pictured are God and Adam, separated by sin but still longing for one another. Maybe it's true. But regardless, it truly captures the heart of humanity - we were hardwired with a desire to CONNECT.

Connect with God, with people, with those who are like-minded. Think about it...

You high-five strangers at a football game when your team scores, all because their t-shirt matches yours. You cry with a woman in the grocery store as you watch the planes crash into the Twin Towers, all because you know it is a national tragedy and that you are now somehow linked, partners in pain.

We were created to CONNECT.
We make those connections every day. Connect to our environment, our family, friends, and coworkers, our situations. And, deep in our hearts, we hear the call...to connect to Something higher, bigger, better than ourselves. It's that voice that whispers in the wind or in the love of our best friend, "Will you follow me? Will you trust me?"

May we not miss the ultimate call to connect to our Creator.

4 comments:

  1. I do believe we are created to connect. He even says we are one body. I need God's grace to understand this and to embrace it.


    Thanks for sharing such truth...

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  2. What a powerful picture. Not only does is show a desire to connect, but reminds me of those times when I don't quite feel connected, and don't quite know how to remedy it. Such a good post. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  3. Great thoughts. One thing I have learned is that we can't escape connection. We were created for connection to God and other believers. If we aren't connected to God, then we are connected to Satan, whether we know it or not. And that will always lead to our downfall.

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  4. I love that you brought up the gift of connecting with complete strangers through a shared experience. My husband was with Jews for Jesus for a year. He was witnessing in Central Park. Their opening line was, "Can I ask you a couple of questions about Jesus?" or some such thing. There was a man taking photographs in the park. Mike approached him, gave him the line, and the man started talking to him about how he had believed in Jesus once. Until his children died in a house fire caused by his ex-wife's negligence. He showed Mike a postcard with his children's portrait on it that he had taken. Two of the most beautiful children I've ever seen. They were 10 and 6. Mike cried and prayed with this man, Thaddeus Harden. Mike brought the picture home and showed me. I saw the resemblance right away. I asked Mike, "Do you have any idea who these children are?" He didn't. I told him, "I think this is Marcia Gay Harden's brother!" And it was. A few days before the fire, the ten year old, Audrey, had been at the premiere of Mona Lisa Smile, a movie her aunt Marcia had starred in. A random event. A connection between strangers. The amazing opportunity to pray over a man grieving the loss of his only children. We still pray for him. And Marcia. And that postcard is among my most prized possessions.

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