The Ultimate Connector

I love to connect with people. In fact, I had an old boss that told me that I should be called "the Connector" because I was so good at connecting with people and helping them to connect with other people or with resources that they needed. It wasn't until she said that that I realized that this is perhaps a gift I've been given. I'm not sure where it comes from, or even how I developed it, but it's a huge part of who I am.

Whenever I first meet someone new I find myself trying to figure out, "Who is this person? How can I best help them with what they are wanting to accomplish? Who would be a good person to set them up with on a date? Who do I know that would be a great friend for this person? Who do I know that could help this person find a good job?" I pay attention to what people say, what they need, what they want and what they hope to do. My brain turns into overdrive and suddenly a networking of people from throughout my life filter through my mind.

This deep desire in my heart to connect with people has been a driving force in my life. When I'm on top of my game, and focused on what's most important in life, I find myself looking at the people around me and thinking, "This person is a child of God. He has been placed in my life for a reason, and because we are both children of God, that connects us together. What can I learn from this person? How can I help them? For what purpose has God placed them in my life?"

I feel like my "CONNECTING POWERS" have been turned off, or at least turned down, for the past few months. I've had terrible writer's block. I love to write and to blog and to connect with people through writing, but I have been unable to write. Each time I've sat down to write my mind, and my heart, go blank and there is nothing. Even when I sit down to write in my own personal journal, I have found myself unable to connect my thoughts to paper. In my own conversations with people, whether in person, through text, or even through Facebook, I have also felt the absence of connection. I have even found it difficult to connect with my heart, my spirit.

I'll be honest. This lack of connection has been driving me crazy! Seriously.

The past few days I've done some soul searching. I've been searching to know what it is that locks up or holds back my desire to connect or my ability to connect. An answer has come in several forms. One is this quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most.” I've been so caught up in the business of life and the stresses the accompany it, that my focus has been lost on what matters most.

The question is, what does matter most? For me, the answer is simple. My relationship with God matters most to me. And as I sit and write this, a connection has been made in my mind. When I am connected to God, and I mean truly connected, then my ability to connect with others is greatly enhanced. God is the ultimate connector. The source of my ability to connect comes from the incredible amount of love and compassion I feel when my heart is truly connected with God. Being connected with the Ultimate Connector opens my eyes and my mind and my heart; and my desire, my gift, to connect with those around me is brought back at full force and I can move forward, being the person I am truly meant to be.

 A verse from one of my favorite hymns says: 

 "Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above. " 

Now it's time to 'refocus on what matters most' and re-connect with the Ultimate Connector. I am prone to wander, but my heart belongs to God.

The next time I find myself unable to connect, hopefully I'll realize a little bit quicker that all I have to do is re-focus, re-commit, and re-connect with my Father in Heaven. Then I can move on doing what I love most: CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE....including YOU!