Missing Places and People
Last week I published a video called “Guidance”. You can find it on YouTube - search ‘Ian Currey Guidance’ and you’ll find it or click on this link… https://youtu.be/sLvrB4-dQGI
In the video the map in todays picture shows up. Since shooting the video I’ve been looking again at that map. I really miss the Lake District! Of course when we lived right there we would go weeks without going to any of the beauty spots - but we could if we wanted to. …but now I WANT to and can’t! So what is it that changed? Why when I was right there didn’t I go and see the amazing views and walk the wonderful trails and now I really can’t I really want to?
One technical point of order here is that if I walked using this particular map I would indeed be on a VERY long walk! Walking maps I remember cover a fraction of this area. Non-the-less, it is a great map and unlocked a number of fantastic memories from our time living just off of the top of the page.
To some extent it is the same thing with friends. We have many, spread around the world, but the ones that live close to us are the ones that we need to make a special effort to connect with. We CAN go and see people - (or at least text or whatever is today’s preferred connection method) but I’ve been home all week and hardly seen a soul.
My word for this month is “Intentional”.
Without deciding that, yes, I’m going to make an extra effort despite the clutter of life and the difficulties we may be going through, to at least stay connected with the people in our lives, life will get really lonely quickly. Maintaining that status quo will be a start, but moving beyond to reach out to other friends, and dare I say, make NEW friends? Oh that sounds like way too much work - and yet its essential isn’t it?
As very social beings, I don’t believe it is at all good for us (me especially) to be sitting on a couch somewhere missing places and people now that it is so hard visit either.
Hebrews 10v23-25 has a couple of phrases that are becoming more important to me in this context, “…let us think of ways to motivate one another…” and “…Let us not neglect our meeting together…” (even if that needs to be ‘virtually’ these days) and how about “…encourage one another, especially now…” Honestly there’s a lot packed in the Bible that we fail to apply isn’t there?
Yes, I’m missing people I haven’t seen for years, I’m missing places I can’t visit and yes, sometimes it can be dark out there can't it?
What should I STOP doing by default to make time to be intentional?
