SOCIAL HEALTH: A SENSE OF BELONGING

In Psychology Today dated February 14, 2023, social health expert Kasley Killam defined social health as the aspect of well-being rooted in connections with others.
She went onto write that social health includes maintaining close relationships with family and friends, having a true sense of belonging to groups, and feeling supported, valued, and loved.

Social health is seemingly an odd topic for someone like me since I am a very strong introvert.
I asked my friend and brother Daryl if I could write a blog entry on social health since it seemed so foreign to me.
Even though I am a teacher who greatly enjoys working with his students, my social battery is exhausted rapidly every day, being fully discharged when I close my office door to go home at the end of each workday.
I have a very close, loving relationship with my wife, but I do not mind when she tells me she is going to visit her mom and brother.
I feel greatly valued by my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and friends, but since I live far away from where I grew up, I do not feel the urgency to drive to see them more than once every 2-3 months. 

I love being part of the different ministries I serve at my church.
I am thankful that I am involved in our children’s ministry, youth group, hospitality team, and missions committee. However, I rarely participate in the social opportunities after the conclusion of church services on Sundays.

I also love running by myself.
I feel more comfortable when I train alone and when running with strangers competitively.

However, God tells us that social health is important.
People were created to be together.
In Genesis 2:18 (ESV),

“the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’”

Genesis 2:18 (ESV)

God never intended people, created in His image, to be solitary creatures.
He created Eve to be with Adam, then they multiplied and started filling Earth with other people to be with. 

Being in groups allows individuals to encourage and support one another.
One aspect of being a runner that I undervalue is the support from others.
I recently agreed to help as a mentor in a couch-to-5K program associated with a local running store.
The coach encouraged me to help set the pace for the more experienced runners by leading in the front.
However, a friend suggested near the middle of the eight-week program that I was working only with the same runners without encouraging others in the group.
I was hanging near the front and was not working with the other athletes who just started their journeys.
I misplaced my understanding of what it means to be at the beginning and the encouragement I needed from friends, family, and strangers.
I decided after that to run with others in the group.
As the graduation race approached, I walked with two wonderful people who taught me a lot about the struggles associated with major medical issues.
One was working through a knee issue, whereas the other was a cancer survivor.
God blessed our time together and gave me a greater appreciation for running with others.

The time I needed others the most as an athlete was when I ran my first marathon.
My friends continually encouraged me during training.
My wife came to the event and screamed encouragement as I crossed the finish line.
Two colleagues from my university met me at the finish, and I cried with them.
Total strangers on the course encouraged me, calling out to “Cincinnati” as I passed by.
(The reason they called me Cincinnati was because I wore my Flying Pig half-marathon training shirt during the race.)
I felt supported and loved by many during one of the most physically demanding activities I had attempted to date.

I need others more than I ever realized, not only in my personal life but as part of my spiritual life.
Paul in Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) encourages Christians to be together to encourage and support one another.
The scriptures read,

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

10:24-25 (ESV)

Believers need one another.
God wants a strong relationship with us and wants us to have meaningful ties to one another.
Being with others of our Christian family gives us the opportunities to love one another (Matthew 22:39), support one another during good and difficult times (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12), confess our sins to one another and pray together (James 5:16), and to share how God is working in our lives. 

While preparing to write this short article, I consulted several different sources on social well-being, and one I read was found on kingdomcapstone.org, dated August 27, 2023.
Near the end of their article, they shared the benefits of good social health.
They wrote that “[…] well-maintained social wellness will result in […] joy, calmness, contentment, excitement, and fervor; reduced stress; a sense of belonging and purpose; better recovery from ill-health; improved academic performance and productivity at work; and longer life expectancy.”
To add to that, being together in supportive social circles when participating in a physical activity increases the likelihood that you will continue being active, even during those times when you feel the weakest and least capable.
Support from others will help you maintain strong spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional health over long periods of time.

Reflection and Prayer

1. Reflect on your social behaviors to date.
   Do you consider yourself someone who enjoys being part of social groups, or do you prefer to be alone or with 1-2 other people? 
2. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.
   What does God’s Word tell us about the importance of good social health in this passage?
3. Some of our best growth comes from doing activities that we are less comfortable doing.
   What activities do you think you need to do to further grow your social well-being?
   I would ask you to consider working in a ministry at your church that involves working directly with others.
   Another possibility is volunteering to help with a local running, biking, or other training program.

Father God – your Word tells us that you want a meaningful relationship with us and we desire that. You also created us to be together with others, to rely on one another, to confess to one another, to encourage and stir one another, and to love one another. I pray that the Holy Spirit dwelling within us encourages us to engage in good healthy practices that benefit the bodies you gave us, which you made in Your image. May we see the opportunities you present to us to grow our social health in ways to glorify You that also benefit our overall health. We pray this in the matchless name of Christ Jesus. Amen.