4 practices to serve and interact when you’re physically alone
On Saturday, I took a nap.
I didn’t wake up until 3:23 am. And yes, that felt weird.
Once I woke up, I couldn’t go back to sleep because I’d been out for about 12 hours. So what’s a guy to do in the middle of the night?
Have you been in a similar situation? Perhaps not napping the day away but where you find yourself alone and not sure what to do?
I’ve had this post in mind for a couple weeks but didn’t write it up because it seemed too boring, too elementary. I didn’t think anyone wanted to hear these suggestions since they’re very not new.
The other night, though, when I didn’t know what to do, these four tools came to mind. I thought,Wow, this is actually helping me right now – perhaps others will get some value out of it as well.
If you remember these four simple practices, not just know them (you already know them), I think you’ll get a lot more out of this.
1. Pick up the phone
[For daytime, real time interaction]
Almost everyone has a cell phone now. And even if they don’t, they’re probably not too far from one. I’d guess that cells are even more common than land lines now. Either way, phones are everywhere.
So break out your phone and say hey.
I know I’ve definitely slacked on this one. I don’t usually call because I don’t have anything specific to say. That doesn’t matter – call anyway, even if it seems pointless. Send some encouragement.
For me at 3:23 am, this wasn’t much of an option, though it did come to mind.
2. Hop on the Internet (’cause surfing it is so ’90s) 
[For anytime, almost real time interaction when you have an online connection]
I could go on and on about this one. As you know, I thrive in this space and still feel I’ve not even touched its potential.
When I say the Internet, I mean the Internet in all its glory:
- Social media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Myspace (?), and so on.
- Email, AIM, Skype, Google Wave (if you know what you’re doing over there)
- Forums: find a Christian forum and offer your encouragement or a forum in one on one of your interests and offer your help.
- Blogs (start one of your own) and comments.
Someone’s always available online if you’re not selfish enough. Create some content and start a conversation around it. Care.
Even at 3:23 am on a Sunday morning, I found a couple people to interact with.
3. Write a letter
[For deep interaction when you can make enough time to do it]
The wonderful thing about all these is that each minister in different ways. The phone is personal and emotional – the Internet is wide. I like to think of letters as deep.
You can say in a letter what you could never say on the phone or even in person. You can be succinct.
I’ve learned more from letters than any other form of communication, from the letters I sent to my grandma when I was seven to the continued correspondence I keep with my friends and mentors. If you’re slacking in this area, don’t.
Start with a simple Thank You.
4. Pray for a friend (or enemy)
[For everywhere, anytime intercession (even in solitary confinement)]
When Corrie ten Boom (if you don’t know who she is, you definitely need to check out her testimony through the Holocaust) became too old to travel and speak, she grew depressed. How can God use me as powerfully now? she thought.
Shortly after, she spoke with Joni Eareckson Tada (if you don’t know who she is, you also need to check out her autobiography). Joni told Corrie that even though she could no longer travel to speak to people, she could speak to God for people.
That became Corrie’s new ministry. (Why’s it always second string?)
If Corrie ten Boom, who prayed to thank God for lice in a Nazi concentration camp because they kept the guards out of the room while she shared Christ with fellow prisoners… if she can forget about the power of prayer, you and I can (and do) too.
But if she can re-realize the importance of prayer, you and I can too.
Mix ’em up
Now that I’ve reminded you (and myself) about these four practices, we can also mix and match them. Two examples:
- Write a letter and send it as a facebook message
- Pray for your friend on the phone
What other mixes can you try?
You and I know about all four of these and even some of the mixes. They’re not new. But we forget. I’m not writing this to tell you something new – I’m writing this to remind you that when you’re alone, when you wake up in the middle of the night after a nap, you don’t have to stop serving.
God’s brilliant like that – He makes ways. He reminded me to write this for you at 3:23 am. What about you?
Serving Suggestions:
(1) Are you alone right now? Why not try one of these. <<That’s not a question. If you’re not alone, remember these for when you are.
(2) What other suggestions do you have?