Devotion: Ambassadors

Ambassadors

Take a moment to read through 2 Corinthians 5:16-21.

Out of the many impactful and relevant stories from the most recent sermon, what struck me most was the way our “always connected” selves feel often disconnected from others when we need connection the most.

Maybe it’s two family members who have experienced a falling out after one too many arguments about how the country should be led.

Perhaps it’s a group of friends who always used to get together monthly, but a pandemic and life happened, and now they’re scattered across the country in rural and urban areas.

Or maybe it’s closer to home, where family members feel alone in their own home even among those who are supposed to know them best. You feel lonely because you didn’t choose to be alone. When I was a child and teenager, this is often how I felt. I had what I needed. . . but I didn’t know if I would really be OK on the inside.

According to research conducted by Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad at Brigham Young University, in numerous studies where people were followed over time for years, and even decades, those who were socially connected had a 50% higher likelihood of survival. And in a different survey in 2019, results showed that 61% of Americans reported feeling lonely.

I promise I’m not trying to turn this blog into a research analysis, but enlightening statistics like these demonstrate some themes found to be true in the Bible: It’s not good for humans to be alone.

When we consider what this says about the importance of a ministry of reconciliation found in 2 Corinthians, it becomes apparent that love is truly the binding force to carry out reconciliation and connection with each other. I appreciate the Oxford Dictionary definition of reconciliation, which is “the restoration of friendly relations” as well as “the action of making one view or belief compatible with another.” It puts words to what we know we can do.

If we are to be entrusted as ambassadors of the message of reconciliation, how do we bring ourselves back together in love?

We use what we have to find a way to reconcile.
Our common purpose.
Our need for meaning.
Our desire to love and be loved.

And then we reconnect. That could be digitally. That could be in person. Either way, it can be soulful, if we all want it to be.

Let us pray…

God of Reconciliation, you let us feel loneliness and disconnection and it is really hard to go through the day sometimes like that. But, what’s amazing is that we have been given the gift of reconciliation to bestow on others and restore within ourselves. Be still with us when we are at our lowest points and energize us to go forward to bring reconnection in your Way. Amen.

Written by Joanna Clay

Joanna and her husband, Matt, live in Lincoln with their two young daughters, Emery and Madisen. The Clays have been members of the Sheridan community since 2014. Joanna is Senior Content Manager for a San Diego-based healthcare coaching company called Practicing Excellence. She enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, longboarding, binge-watching historical dramas, and connecting with others over life’s big questions.