Find Your People, Day 1 By Jennie Allen Loneliness. Do you feel it too? That sinking feeling that you aren’t seen, you aren’t known, and you are on your own to face whatever difficult thing life is throwing at you. Do you ever wonder if maybe you’re the only person who feels this alone? You aren’t, by the way. You aren’t alone in feeling alone. I struggle with loneliness more than I like to admit. I’m not good at being needy. I’m needy, just not good at admitting it. And that has consistently damaged my relationships. I’ve hurt people. They’ve hurt me. I have failed my friends. Some have forgiven me, and some have walked away. While I’m doing better than I used to, I’m far from perfect in this area. And yet I’m going to keep working at it. Because the more I look into the why of our neediness and the problem of our loneliness, the more convinced I am that at our core we are made to be fully known and fully loved. Loved and known regularly and over time by family members, close friends, mentors, coworkers. God built us for deep connection to be part of our day-in, day-out lives, not just once in a while in the presence of a paid therapist. In fact, God existed in a relationship with Himself before any of us were here. It’s called the Trinity. God is one, and God is three. Scripture says that the Son exists to glorify the Father and that the Father exists to glorify the Son. It says that the Spirit exists to glorify them both. (See John 16-17.) What that means is that they help each other, they promote each other, they serve each other, and they love each other. What’s more, this exchange has been going on for all eternity. It means that our God has been relational forever. It means that He created us out of a relationship for a relationship—and not a relationship that is surface level or self-seeking. No, the relationship He has in mind for us is a sacrificial, intimate, moment-by-moment connection. Relational. It’s who we are because it’s who God is. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:1‭-‬2 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. John 17:5 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15‭-‬17 God, I need You! And I need others around me. You created me for You and You created me for relationships. What connections are you calling me to today? Amen.

HOW TO GET STUFF DONE This passage isn’t implying that a man can’t do anything without Christ. Atheists do a lot of things without Christ. But without Him, we can’t do anything of significance that is beyond our own power. No branch can support a piece of fruit unless it is tied to a trunk. Likewise, I cannot do things that are eternally significant if I am not tied to Jesus. Balancing a household budget and working 50 hours a week are things an atheist can do. But bringing life to parched souls, impacting future generations, or seeing someone be healed from a prayer you prayed is possible only through the power of Jesus. I’ve heard people say, “God doesn’t call us to be fruitful; He calls us to be faithful.” I guess they haven’t gotten around to reading what Jesus actually said. If we aren’t bearing fruit, then we aren’t faithful because being faithful is being close to the vine of Christ. And being close to the vine of Christ will bring true change and impact. Just as all trees experience winter, every branch will go through seasons of barrenness. The church I lead hasn’t always grown. My finances don’t always improve. My friendships have sometimes been listless. Our lives can’t always be up and to the right. But if our season of faithful barrenness is stretching on for long periods of time without appropriate fruit, let’s stop fooling ourselves. We likely aren’t operating close to Christ. We are doing our own thing on our own power and with our own religiosity, and as Scripture says, that will lead to nothing. But when we abide in Christ, opportunities for powerful impact are endless. PRAYER Jesus, I want Your power that eclipses mine. Today, help me to produce something luscious, juicy, and satisfying. Amen. GET MOVING 1. Identify something fruitful that you want God to do through you. 2. Spend five minutes sometime today talking (and listening) to God about how He wants that fruitful thing to happen.