It is clear no one person can meet all of our needs. We need a village of support and encouragement around us in order to thrive. But even with this village, we still need at least one or two close friends in our inner circle as well.
Out of the many disciples that followed Jesus, he chose the Twelve. And even within this group, Peter, James, and John seemed to be in his inner circle. And it was still the beloved John who then reclined on his chest during the Last Supper.
We need our own similar circle of friends.
Certainly there’s power in large gatherings – feeling the energy of everyone united in purpose and moving toward a shared vision.
And there’s a place for small groups as well – going deeper and sharing more with just a few like-hearted others.
But more is still needed.
Our inner circle includes those scary close relationships in which we get to bare our naked souls to each other without fear or shame.
By their very nature these relationships are more vulnerable, which makes them harder to establish and maintain.
We don’t share our vulnerabilities with just anyone. And we must first build the trust needed to go to certain parts of our story with each other.
But we need at least one or two others who get full backstage access to our life. We need those who can see us fully and hold our story in all its complexity to keep from becoming fragmented souls.
It’s easy to hide in large gatherings and small groups. But this is harder to do in the scary close relationships of our inner circle.
Find your inner circle to walk intimately with you through the ups and downs of life.
We can’t do life together with everyone. But we need at least one or two to walk personally with us in order to thrive.
