“You are objectively (whether we believe it or not) sociologically, philosophically, biologically, theologically designed in your very DNA for relationships. You are a relational being.”
-Victor Maynard
Technology offers us the opportunity to be more connected than ever before but also creates space and encourages isolation and independence. We are relational beings who need relationships. Not the disconnected relationships we experience through a screen, but real, vulnerable, and authentic relationships. Relationships where we can be ourselves as we were made to be, not the curated image we hide behind online.
“We have an unquenchable appetite to be known and know others. To be seen and understood.”
-Victor Maynard
Can we truly know someone through a screen? Can we live and experience relationships as God intended if we never allow ourselves to be fully real with others?
Bonding with others, and being known, seen, loved, and understood by others creates some of the most extraordinary experiences in our lives!
Society increasingly encourages independence. Technology sells us the lie that we can be fully independent and fully known by others. We are told to find ourselves, look into ourselves for meaning, become self-sufficient, be true to ourselves, and look inward to discover our true authentic selves. We become the sole definers of ourselves. But, in defining ourselves, absent of the influence of others and the one who created us, we become lost in a curated image that will never fully encompass who we are. Without relationships and connections to others, we can never fully know ourselves, and we will never be satisfied because we have an innate need to be known by others.
“In a world that is marching towards independence, isolation, self-determination, loneliness — life is found with Jesus, in Jesus who marches the opposite way (towards others with love, mercy, forgiveness) and empowers us to do the same.”
-Victor Maynard
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
Jesus modelled perfect love and connection. God, through creation, demonstrated the interconnectivity we were made for. To be truly known and to truly know, we must look to Jesus and strive for relationships that embody the love, trust, mercy, and forgiveness he calls us to.
Rather than seeking the “Top 10 Places to cool down and cry your eyes out,” we should be seeking out ways we can live the connected and relational life modeled for us by Jesus.
Watch the full sermon here.