Disconnected

So many people are shut in their homes. For some this has been good. Families are spending more time together. Memories are made. Relationships are strengthening. That is all well and good. I have enjoyed extended time with my family as well.

That is not what is on my mind today. My heart turns to those in our flock who live alone. They do not have family close at hand to visit and make memories. Their only companion a television that fills them with more and more bad news. Facts that prey on fears. So called social distancing they live with most every day of their life.

They are isolated and in many ways disconnected. As people cope with their own situations, it is easy for some to get lost in the midst. The ones who do not have the capabilities to watch a service live streamed. They can watch famous preachers on television, but that cannot substitute for being among their own congregation with people they love.

These people are socially distanced from everyone. Family. Friends. Church members. Pastor. Running buddies. They sit alone. Slow hour after hour. The days drag by in boredom. The nights are longer. It seems the darkness will never end and sleep is fitful at best. Meals are consumed alone. Television is watched alone. A person can only watch so much before you feel stir crazy. Sometimes days can pass before disconnected people even see a breathing living human in person. Especially in these days. It is lonely. It is agonizing. It is a slow grief.

We were created by God for community. Only for some. spouses die, kids grow up and move away, people retire, pastors come and go, health keeps a person from being as active as they once were. Then you get quarantined. You get to told stay at home. The few things disconnected people once did during the week are highlights. Something to look forward to doing. When those are taken away home can feel more like a prison than a refuge. Days become drudgery. Monotonous with the same things repeated. They wait for a phone call. They would call others but do not want to be a bother.  It is for these people my heart is burdened.

How to care, show compassion, remember and connect with people who feel disconnected. Sometimes people need more than social media. They need a human touch. Like the old saying, they need Jesus with skin on. Will you be one of those people who may feel disconnected and forgotten during this time.

Jesus sought out disconnected people. Social outcasts. Even sinners. He loved. He ministered. He included and embraced. He showed compassion. May He open our eyes and hearts to disconnected people around us.

A simple phone call could be the best part of someone's day. An old fashioned letter could lift the spirits of a disconnected person. Remember the forgotten. Reach out. Even if you can't do it in person. Follow Jesus' example. Connect with disconnected people.

Matthew 9:36 (ESV)
³⁶  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.