My Friend's House

The phrase “inner circle” is a phrase that is used to describe the people in your life that provide practical assistance with everyday things. They provide mental health support through their empathy and a sounding board as you verbally process situations that you face. Usually, they have similar interests or ideals to provide a sense of belonging.

Think for a moment who is in your inner circle. There should be 3-5 people that come to mind. It isn’t a very large group. (More than 5 and you are describing your outer circle of friends.) These people are your “go to” people. Something comes up good or bad and they are the ones you want to know about it. They are the ones that pray for you, celebrate with you and cry with you.

Now, think about the inner circle from a different perspective. Whose inner circle are you a part of? Are you part of someone’s inner circle? Think about the isolated acquaintance that you have. If they are isolated, for whatever reason, how would they ever become relationally and spiritually healthy if they don’t have a pool of people in their life to create an inner circle?

There are people in your neighborhood, in your workplace and in your school that don’t have an inner circle. They may have never heard of or seen an example of a group of people that behaved in this way. That’s where the ministry opportunity is found. Those of us that are healthy in this way, (not perfect) need to help people normalize having an inner circle.

In the past few months, I have been learning about the effects of the “second” phone call and the continuous phone call. I have been shocked at how receptive complete strangers welcome a call back, a check in of sorts. “I’m calling to see how you’re doing. How can I pray for you? Would you like me to call you again sometime?” I have yet to hear “No thank you.”

Who do you know that doesn’t have support? How can you be a constant in their life? It doesn’t have to be something big. It could start with a weekly walk or phone call. That small ray of light offered by showing up consistently has the potential for huge positive ramifications.

Your reaching out is also preventive. You quite possibly are preventing suicide, addiction, relapse, depression and much more. You are filling someone’s time with something positive and giving them value and pointing them to Christ.

❤️PRAY ❤️LOOK ❤️LISTEN ❤️ENGAGE