“No man is an island.”
So said poet John Donne in a sermon way back in 1624. We all need to be part of a greater whole, belonging to others in society. Man was meant to have relationships, to share life with others.
This sentiment is ringing true for me as I write this. I’ve just come from a lovely evening of sharing a great meal and even greater conversation with a group of wonderful people. These friends are mostly new to us (my husband and me) but are fast becoming heart friends.
Do you know what I mean by the term “heart friends?” I can’t think of a better phrase than that. We have been meeting together every week for a couple of months, sharing a meal and then sharing life.
Sure, there’s small talk (weather, plans for the weekend), but the good stuff comes while sitting around the dining room table pondering the bigger questions of life. You know, stuff like “Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose?”
These people are not afraid to go deep. We’ve laughed a lot and cried a bit, too. We all have “stuff” we’ve experienced in life, and in our conversations we are learning what it means to live out the Biblical admonition to “bear one another’s burdens.”
We are holding space for each other to tell our stories and how the God of the Universe has invaded our lives and given us what we’ve ultimately been looking for. The authenticity and vulnerability is unnerving. And freeing. And inviting.
We’re dropping our masks and having a chance to just… be. What a rare thing in this day of unrealistic posturing on social media. Here with these people, as the weeks go on, we’re learning to support one another through this thing called life.
This deeper connection, I believe, is a longing of every human heart. We all (I’m guessing) want to be known and seen and heard, and loved in spite of it all. And week by week it’s happening.
John Donne, in that way-back quote, recognized this need. It’s as true now as it was then.
What about you?
Do you have a few friends who really know you?
