"The Hope of Connection" - Mike Ashcraft | CONNECTION, Part 4
God designed our relationships to form us, not merely affirm us. He made us for connection, but we often settle for acceptance. To live safely in the care of another requires risk. It's easy to grow disenchanted when we recognize the difficulty and tenacity necessary to partake and participate in relationships that form and shape us. The source of our connections determines the strength and depth of our relationships. Formative connections flourish when the exchange of life is sourced by God's love and secured by our identity in Him. Without mutual trust and shared experience, the way of Jesus will only reach our heads and not our hearts. A trusted connection provides a space to be ourselves and to become ourselves.