Picture used: The photo was taken by German photographer Tobias Baumgaertner

Yesterday’s post shared connections with others who see into our lives and respond. In fact, I got a text from my friend Whitney at work that reminded me that we needed to set a date to have dinner, and she remembered the things I’m facing and reminded me she cared. Those are texts that send a message straight to the soul–“I see you.”

I recently listened to a podcast on loneliness and its impact on our health. If you know me, you know I adore Shankar Vedantam and Hidden Brain. I encourage you to listen for the content and the statistics; however, my remembrance is that feelings of loneliness impacts your health in significant ways and can be more dangerous than other vices we have like smoking and drinking. Shankar interviews U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy who believes we are suffering from an epidemic of loneliness. He has written a book in response to the health concern.

My precious niece sent a text after reading yesterday’s post. So much of what she shared nailed it and supported my reading. It’s the small interactions that matter. That’s science, too. Listen to the podcast, The Power of Tiny Interactions, for the proof!

Here is the text from my niece Amanda. If you read yesterday’s post, this will bring deeper insight and understanding.

I loved your most recent blog post. 

I’ve been reading through the Bible in a year and I’m only in Deuteronomy. 

 I began a deep dive into scripture at the start of the year. Today’s reading was in chapter 8 where Moses has been recounting their journey through the wilderness as their on the edge of the Promised Land and he’s reminding them to remember God when they get there.

Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you.

While we are under the New Covenant – there is so much hope that springs from this passage. Reliance on and worship of God are our refuge. It is (He is) our hiding place and shelter. And remembrance of His past faithfulness will produce a present hope.

I won’t seek to pretend to know or understand all you’re up against – but wanted to thank you for sharing your heart. There is something beautiful about suffering strong under the covering of Jesus. While mine looks different – our hope is the same. Jesus.

I love you. God is in the details – working where we can’t see. Wiping the very tears that our eyes have been emptied of and now they pour from our very soul. He catches every one – it’s not lost on him. Every prayer we’re in waiting to be fulfilled he’s doing a work to create the best possible scenario where He is enthroned on earth through it all. We can hope and lean into him with assurance. We can bring our doubt and unbelief and have it refined and reignited. God is faithful to sustain our airways where we are drowning. He will give us firm footing where our laces are tied together. Praying an “even if” faith over both of us. Even if the fire ensues – we would be caught up as ashes, but come out refined to take our hope to the world. 

 He loves you with an immeasurable measure.