Slowing down forces us to be more intentional.

My sister rides her electric bike just about everywhere. About a year ago, she sent me a photo of her odometer… she had passed 2,000 kilometers during the short time she had owned her bike.

I thought of that as I hopped into my car to drive 14 miles on an errand. If I was going to ride my bike instead, I would have had to plan ahead. I would need to consider the weather, the backpack I would bring, the clothing I would wear and what things I would need to move in my schedule to accommodate the extra time it would take.

Relationships are similar. If you want to go deeper, you’ll need to give your time and energy. Ten minutes every few months is rarely enough to share life’s deepest joys and trials.

I have a few friends not in the orbit of my regular life who I can pick up with and quickly go deep. But for the most part, those represent relationships nurtured over years.

Jesus had twelve buddies he went deep with. Those relationships were nurtured over about three years. After Jesus was gone, His influence on their lives lasted the rest of their days.

How can we be more intentional in our relationships? Fighting our lean toward complacency is hard. The pull to relax by watching TV every night can be strong.

Take a small step to start. You could invite a friend or friends over for dinner one night next week. If that’s overwhelming, plan ahead for one night next month.

Give it a try!

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Paul Merrill writes here every first Friday.