@ChuckHolton I don’t know how many of you were on the call yesterday but I had mentioned in follow-up to what Chuck was saying about the lack of genuine connection, how we’re being shanghaied by screen devices.
In my private counseling practice I see case after case of people who cannot meaningfully connect with others, or at least aren’t willing to put the effort into it; and I see the detrimental effects on a daily basis of a lack of healthy connection.
For almost 10 years I ran an outpatient addiction counseling practice at a local hospital’s behavioral health unit. One thing that is striking about the drug using culture is the strong social bond that is developed. The only problem is the bond is primarily driven by the chemical addiction. The illicit drug community actually provides a sense of belonging to its members. But as you know, this is a false sense of belonging that normally ends in death if no intervention takes place.
So in treating folks with chemical addiction, it’s critical that you address this. Support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Celebrate Recovery (a decidedly Christian program) do a pretty good job of helping to substitute a healthier level of connection for a deadly one. But even in these settings, they are increasingly becoming cyber communities, thanks in no small part to the Covid pandemic.
In my teachings, I also made the distinction between purposeful times of solitude/quiet times and isolation, with the latter actually worsening one’s spiritual/mental health. (Notice what I did there? The longer I’m in this business the more I’m convinced that the primary problem in our nation is not "mental" health as much as it’s a worsening spiritual health, and I’m talking about a healthy relationship with the one and only true God, the God of the Bible.) We need time away from the chaos of our world with a purposeful focus on God, on what He wants to say to us, and sharing with Him from our hearts. This is a time-limited activity, with a purpose, whereas isolation increasingly lengthens as one engages in it with the sole purpose to avoid engaging with others, society, etc.
So, much of what I do is attempting to get people reconnected to healthy communities and teach them about challenging their own beliefs and views of themselves in order to break down their own self-erected barriers to healthy connection. It’s not an easy job in many cases, which is why having healthy churches offering a variety of connection points is so important for our communities and society as a whole.
Stay connected folks! Happy 4th of July!
