Socially Distant

Wow! What a year it has been, we are officially at the end of July. Never in a million years would I have imagined this year would go the way it has. But throughout it all, I can still see the goodness of God.

Although some parts of the world are reopening, most of us are very much still socially distancing. Standing 6 feet apart and wearing masks have become the new normal these days. As a self-proclaimed introvert, social distancing was initially a breeze.

Fast forward four months later and I now fully understand why God said "It is not good for man to be alone". Yes, I know he was talking about a spouse for Adam, but still! The truth is, non of us were created to be alone. As Adam had eve, Jesus had his disciples, Paul had Timothy, Mary had Martha, Elijah had Elisha, etc. I'm sure you get my drift by now. Many of us resulted to video calling to keep in touch with our loved ones. This honestly was great in the beginning, but I don't think I am the only one who is tired of Zoom calls. It became a video call overload and I honestly began to lose track. Not to mention still needing to get work done for my day job, work on my side hustles, record podcast episode, be a mom, and a slew of other things. It quickly became overwhelming and I felt myself beginning to shut down.

Fellowship Goals

After talking to some other friends, I realized I wasn't the only one with these feelings. We were/are all going through the same circumstance. I found some reassurance in that fact and realized that the very people I have to physically keep away from during this pandemic, are the only people that can empathize with me. I began to realize that true fellowship had a much greater impact than sitting on mute during a video call. Even if it was just one person I was able to connect with, the impact was far greater.

Fellowship is defined as; "A friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests."

That was the missing link for me. Without true fellowship, not only was I physically distant. I was emotionally distant also.

The bible has many scriptures regarding fellowship. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works" - Hebrews 10:24

Honestly, the last verse brought it home for me. The bible specifically says for us to think of ways to motivate one another. I can say that it was fellowshipping that brought me out of my funk. Unknowingly, that was all I needed to fill the void of distance I was experiencing.

Call to Action

So, maybe you're an introvert like myself or a bubbly extrovert. No matter who you are, it is safe to say that we all need some sort of fellowship. Some of us may last a little bit longer without it, but it cannot be avoided.

No one truly knows how much longer we will have to live this way, and honestly, it doesn't matter because God is in control. But, that doesn't stop us from fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

My suggestion would be to identify at least one other person that you can fellowship with. A person that you can have true heartfelt conversations with where you can both share your frustrations, joys, and any other emotions you may be experiencing. Just because we have to be physically distant doesn't mean we must be emotionally distant.

Wishing you all continued peace and safety. God bless.