The Beauty of Connection

Sometimes the smallest gestures can foster connection.

My day job includes work as an academic advisor at a university. The students have to make an appointment with me before they can register for the next semester. I always give them the option to meet with me over zoom or in person in my office. Many of them choose zoom. After almost two years of the convenience of not having to actually go to meetings, they like the idea of meeting in their dorm room or apartment. It’s less awkward and it takes little to no effort on their part.

I think we have all been there.

They get the same information that the students who come to my office get, but they don’t get the connection. There’s something about meeting with people face-to-face that makes relationships more genuine.

I keep a bowl of Jolly Ranchers on my desk and I always offer the students one on their way out. It’s so fun to watch them smile and pick their favorite flavor. It’s an unexpected treat and I have never had anyone turn the candy down. In fact, I have had a few of them that stop in to say hello from time to time and I always offer them another one. They always accept.

It’s such a small thing, sharing a piece of candy, but after a pandemic that had people separated for so long, little gestures seem to go a long way. Connection goes a long way.

Those Jolly Ranchers got me to thinking about connection and church. I think maybe many of us have found ourselves still participating in virtual church. Year after year, Sunday after Sunday, we got up and got dressed and went to church and then a pandemic hit and everything went virtual. Don’t get me wrong, the ability to worship virtually was a gift, but now for many of us, it’s become convenient. It’s easier than getting up and getting dressed. It’s easier than leaving the house. It’s easier than dealing with people, but are we missing connection?

There’s something incredibly powerful when God’s people come together to worship Him. There’s connection with Him and with each other. If we actively sought connection both physically and spiritually and spent more time face-to-face instead of in cyberspace, what would our world look like?

We might be pleasantly surprised. A bowl of Jolly Ranchers reminded me that the beauty of connection is worth the work and inconvenience. Perhaps you needed reminding too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂