I like to use wired earbuds when I can, minimising the amount of Bluetooth pollution close to my head. To make this work, I need a connector. The link design is simple. Although it is essential, I only have one. My friends wonder why I am comfortable going old-school. As I start to explain the possible risks, potential links to brain tumours, and more, their eyes glaze over, and interest moves to another topic.
Life reminds me of the importance connectors play in life. Taking care of my heart is connected to being able to support others. Addressing my fears and uncertainties opens the door to helping others with their own. When I invest time in relationships, I often discover they continue investing in me. As simple as these connectors are, there are times when I find myself without them.
Connections are opportunities. They become useless unless embraced. They rarely last if not used, often because we lose them along the way. When I connect with the relationships in my life, the following experience makes me wonder why I waited so long to make the effort. As I consider what I was focusing on yesterday, I realise I missed looking up and beyond the immediate. As I look forward, I see friends within a short walk or message. Each represents a doorway that connects my heart to theirs.
Connections are the beginning, not the end. As I consider the stories shared by others, past and present, I know I have a journey that is uniquely mine. There is an opportunity to learn from what they have been through. There is more than just the immediate past. Across the generations, as one writer noted, “Unlike your ancestors, you didn’t come to Mount Sinai – all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble -to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking message terrified them and they begged him to stop.” (Hebrews 12.18, 19) Listening, taking it in, and learning opens the door that brings their lessons into my life.
It is time to connect and take a step.
