Connections and Connections

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to share a prayer request with some fellow believers. A friend's daughter injured her eye, and I asked friends in the blind community to pray for her. I knew they would have a special empathy for this girl and her family. What made this special, though, was when I got responses from several individuals. They wanted the family to be assured that they were praying, so I bundled those notes and also mentioned where each person lives. My friend was heartened to learn that there were specific people praying for her daughter -- people all over the country, whom she has never met and probably won't meet on this side.

Another kind of connection was renewed last weekend. Most of the cousins on my dad's side of the family got together for an afternoon. There wasn't a reason for this gathering, except to reestablish family ties. It was good to be there, to know that those were people with whom I share a heritage. We live in different places, in different situations, but we have that one thing in common.

We need connection. We need grounding. We need the touch of another hand in time of trouble. A wise man said, "A friend loves at all times, and [if that isn't enough,] a brother is born for adversity." Another said, "Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ." I have been thankful many times for friends with whom I share a special closeness, and also for family members who know my history and walk with me from afar. Maybe these are the touch of God.