You are reading the 46th issue of Drawing Near, a newsletter to encourage connection and soften the ache of loneliness. Each week, you'll receive inspiration for connecting with God, yourself, and the people around you. To see previous issues, go to our newsletter page.

Connect with God

One of my favorite hymns has many lyrics that make me want to pause and consider the words more deeply. Here is verse three from Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing:

"O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above."

The debt I owe to grace, my wandering heart, the God I love. It's all so beautiful and ugly to think about. Maybe spend some time with these lyrics today and consider:

• Where would I be without grace?
• What causes me to wander from God?
• How would I put this verse in my own words?
• What does the seal that God has placed on my heart say? Loved, redeemed, treasured, or something else?

Connect with Yourself

Leo Tolstoy said, "Rest, nature, books, music, such is my idea of happiness."

These very four things are on my list! What's on your happiness list?

Connect with Others

On choosing to be known, here is a quote from Jennie Allen in her book Get Out of Your Head:

"When we listen to lies about our worth, we naturally back away from others. In many cases, our distancing behavior succeeds in pushing people away, reinforcing our fear of rejection. This is a classic mind trap, a self-fulfilling thought pattern in which our insecurity feeds our isolation, which in turn feeds the lie that we are worthless and nobody really gets us or cares to. We feel unseen and unloved, and to protect ourselves from further rejection, we won't let anyone close enough to change our perception...The truth, however, is that we are designed in the image of a holy God, who embodies community and who invites us into His family. We are created for community."

In this fall season when we reach for cozy comforts to keep us warm*, may we reach for God's spiritual comfort more than anything physical🤎

*It's still hot where I live, but my mind has moved on to fall vibes.

P.S. "Peace is not a prize, but a gift God continues to give."​

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