The Pursuit of Us (from Gospel-Centered Discipleship)
My latest article is up at GCD:
It was Christmas time and I realized we’d been living in our home for about a year. Twelve months of learning a new city, a new job, a new church, and new friends. That last part had proven to be more difficult than I’d expected. While we’d hosted at least two dozen prospective friends for meals over that year, just two families had reciprocated. I’m no math whiz, but an 8% rate of return doesn’t feel very successful.
In lamenting the situation to a friend in our previous city, I confessed, “Why do I always have to be the one trying to connect? Why aren’t others reaching out to connect with me? I just want to be pursued by someone else for a change . . .”
In the years since I’ve thought a lot about those feelings. Growing up, I didn’t have what many people refer to as their BFF. Sure, I had friends, but I didn’t have this one lifelong best friend that other people seemed to have. During seasons of particular loneliness, I wrestled with God regarding this desire to be pursued.
As is the case with so many of my earthly struggles, this craving is only fully satisfied in Christ. Yet he created us as communal people designed to help meet one another’s needs. So while I must not prioritize earthly relationships over Jesus, I should and do wonder what else this desire has to teach me?