You are the Solution to the Connection Crisis

You are the Solution to the Connection Crisis

A good question can reframe a conversation, cause us to think differently, and even change the course of a life. Jesus asked many questions. One such life-changing question was asked of the man at the Bethesda pool. We read in John 5:6 that Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” Upon reading, we learn that he did want to get well and was prepared in faith to make significant changes to his life. Jesus met him there and then, in that moment and where he was at in his life. As Dallas Willard says, ‘Jesus always meets us where we are and nowhere else’.

A question, perhaps not at the level of Jesus’s question, but important for us this year. What does it look like and require for you to finish well this year, flourishing in life, where you are at, where God has you? We may have an assumed or unspoken narrative that by the end of 2025, we will be weary and rather spent, in need of a break from it all. This assumption is worthy of challenge and action, especially as 2025 has a long way to go. A parallel question is: what does it look like this year for me to be in God for the world instead of in the world for God? There is a significant difference between cultivating work, rest, and rhythm, and the latter, which is characterised by busyness and anxiety.

To explore this further, it can be helpful to understand the foundations of well-being (or what we might also call Human Flourishing or wholeness) and how different dimensions of well-being are interrelated. Additionally, we face unique challenges daily in our culture and times. Part of our leadership of self and others is defining reality.

The Connection Crisis

We’re living in the midst of what Dr Todd Hall calls a “connection crisis”.

“Social connection is a critical and under-appreciated contributor to our health and well-being. Yet, far too many of us lack social connection, leading to poor health and other negative outcomes.”

Over the past five decades, we’ve seen declining social networks, rising isolation, and a weakening of traditional connecting structures—including our churches.

“We are facing a national mental health crisis that could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come.”

This connection crisis is particularly acute for our younger generation. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt, in his recent book The Anxious Generation, helps us understand why.

He argues that the shift from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood has fundamentally altered how young people develop.

As he put it, smartphones have become “experience blockers,” making it difficult for children and adolescents to obtain the embodied social experiences they need most.

This isn’t just about technology use – it’s about how digital devices are reshaping the very way young people learn to connect with others and form relationships.

The impact is profound. We’re seeing a generation that struggles with basic social skills, emotional regulation, and the ability to form deep, meaningful relationships—the very foundations of both well-being and spiritual formation.

And this disconnection isn’t just social—it’s also spiritual. Social and spiritual disconnection are two sides of the same coin.

In the face of this profound disconnection and fragmentation, we need a compelling vision of what true flourishing looks like—one that speaks to both our spiritual and psychological needs.

Shalom: God’s Vision for Human Flourishing

The biblical concept of shalom offers us a powerful framework for understanding well-being. While we often translate it simply as “peace,” shalom actually describes a state of complete flourishing and wholeness—where all aspects of life are in harmony.

Jesus expanded on this vision in the Sermon on the Mount, where he describes the concept of teleios—often translated as “perfect,” but more accurately understood as wholehearted love for God and others. (See Jonathan Pennington’s book: The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing).

What’s fascinating is how modern research confirms this biblical understanding. Our attachment relationships—those bonds where we seek comfort and security—form the foundation for:

• Our sense of identity, belonging, and self-worth
• Our capacity to regulate emotions
• Our resilience in the face of stress and adversity
• Our ability to process painful experiences and grow from them
• Our capacity to find and create meaning in life
• Our physical health and well-being

In other words, secure relationships don’t just make us feel good—they fundamentally shape our capacity to flourish in every dimension of life.

The Integration of Wholeness

We are integrated beings, created for connection. Every aspect of our lives affects every other aspect, and all dimensions of our lives are integrated around our relationships with God and others.

When we experience secure attachment—that sense of being truly known, accepted, and supported in our relationships with God and others—it creates a foundation for flourishing across all domains:

• It strengthens our emotional regulation
• It provides a secure base for exploration and growth
• It gives us the safety to process pain and trauma
• It forms the context for meaning-making
• It even impacts our physical health

This integrated view helps us understand why addressing any single aspect of well-being in isolation is insufficient. True wholeness—shalom—requires attention to the relational foundations of flourishing as well as all the other domains of life.

Practical Steps Toward Wholeness

So, how do we cultivate this kind of integrated well-being in our own lives and those we serve? Here are some biblical and research-informed strategies:

1. Prioritise Deep Relationships
Identify a few relationships where you can be fully known and practice vulnerability.

2. Integrate Spiritual Practices
Develop rhythms that address the whole person and evolve with spiritual growth:

• Gratitude & Celebration: Psalm 136
• Lament: Psalm 88
• Confession: 1 John 1:9
• Embodiment: Honour your body as the temple of the Holy Spirit
• Rest: Establish patterns of genuine Sabbath

3. Reframe Your Understanding of Work and Purpose

• Your identity as God’s child (1 John 3:1)
• Your calling and the root meaning of vocation
• Work as cultivation and creativity
• The relationship between skill and worship
• Work as a means of Human Flourishing

4. Create Technology Boundaries

• Read from a physical Bible
• Establish phone-free times and spaces
• Turn off screens an hour before bed
• Use a non-digital alarm clock
• Limit social media use

5. Process Emotional Pain in Community
Resilience comes through support. Consider:

• Speaking with an aifc Christian Counsellor
• Finding a trusted friend or mentor
• Joining a group focused on healing
• Learning the language of emotional awareness

6. Train to Become a Christian Counsellor
Get trained and equipped so you can help others.

“Spiritual formation is the process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others.” – Robert Mulholland

Live It Now — Not Later

You don’t need to wait for the end of the year to rest or recover. Start cultivating a flourishing, whole life now—right where you are, just as Jesus meets us.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If something in this article stirred something in your spirit—if you feel called to grow, to serve, to walk alongside others in their journey toward wholeness—why not take the next step?

• Book a free Course Advisory Session
• Enrol today

Now is the time. Let’s pursue a life of purpose, connection, and flourishing—together.

Go well,
The aifc team