In A Letter to Arthur Greeves, C.S. Lewis wrote:
“If I had to give a piece of advice to a young man about a place to live, I think I should say, ‘Sacrifice almost everything to live where you can be near your friends.’”
In the age of Facebook, Twitter, and the plethora of other social networks, it is easy to lose the human touch. Through instant messaging, texting, and email, we think we can show affection, settle conflict, and stay close to our “5,000 closest friends”.
However, when times get tough, how many of those 5,000 friends are going to show up on your doorstep to help? When you get the bad diagnosis, how many of your Twitter “followers” are going to offer you a ride to the doctor, or come visit you in the hospital? When you just got news that your company is laying off, and you’re probably going to lose your job, is a “poke” on Facebook going to touch you like a hug from a true friend? While social media has its place, no amount of online chatting can take the place of sitting down across the table from a friend, sharing a cup of coffee, and engaging in a heartfelt conversation.
Jesus said that there is no greater love a man can have than to lay down his life for a friend. He understood the value of deep, abiding, face-to-face friendship.
Take a moment today (now is a good time) and reach out to someone in a very real way. Schedule a lunch together. Go grab some coffee with them. Make it a point to reach out and be real. There’s no telling the difference you can make in someone’s life today.
The Heart of Abba - Ron Phillips 
One reply on “The Human Touch”
That is so true, Pastor Ron. Many times, my husband and I have been tempted to move to a different city to pursue a better job, etc. But there are two things that keep us here, that we could never replace: our friends and Abba’s House. So we are staying, and God is just going to have to bless us here. 🙂