Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202215S
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00:42 >> Hello and welcome to It Is
00:44 Written Canada. 00:45 According to Statistics Canada, 00:46 young people in Canada express 00:49 experiencing loneliness more 00:51 frequently than older people. 00:53 Among youth aged 15 to 24 00:56 years, nearly one in four said 01:00 they always or often 01:01 felt lonely. 01:03 [RENÉ] So young people in 01:04 Canada feel lonely more often 01:06 and more intensely than 01:08 older people. 01:09 Why do you think so many young 01:11 people feel so lonely in 01:13 Canada? 01:15 >> What part do you think 01:16 social media, technology, and 01:18 the use of electronic devices 01:20 play in why today's young 01:22 people do not interact as much 01:25 as they did in the past? 01:27 Today on It Is Written Canada 01:29 we will examine what the 01:30 research tells us about the 01:32 importance of forming social 01:34 connections and share with you 01:37 proven, practical, and 01:38 effective ways that you can 01:40 have more meaningful 01:42 connections to dispel the 01:44 loneliness from your life. 01:46 >> To begin with, we have 01:48 Dr. George Cho. 01:50 Dr. Cho is a licensed 01:52 naturopathic doctor who 01:53 practices in the Greater 01:55 Toronto Area. 01:57 He's a member of the American 01:58 College of Lifestyle Medicine 02:01 and the Canadian Society for 02:02 Exercise Physiology. 02:05 His practice focus is on 02:06 lifestyle medicine. 02:08 >> Dr. Cho, welcome to It Is 02:10 Written Canada. 02:12 >> Thanks for having me 02:13 back again. 02:14 It's good to be back. 02:15 >> So, Dr. Cho, we're talking 02:17 about making connections and 02:18 how important social 02:19 connections are to our health 02:21 and our well-being, so the 02:23 opposite of that would be 02:25 loneliness or being alone, is 02:26 there a difference between 02:28 being alone and being lonely? 02:31 >> Absolutely. 02:32 Just 'cause someone is alone 02:33 doesn't necessarily mean that 02:35 they're lonely. 02:37 Alone is just you're by 02:38 yourself. 02:39 But loneliness is when there's 02:41 a disconnect between your 02:42 desire for interpersonal 02:44 relationships and what you're 02:46 actually getting. 02:48 So you wanna feel connected to 02:49 people, but you're not getting 02:52 that connection that you want. 02:54 So somebody can actually be in 02:56 a group and with-- around a lot 02:58 of people and still feel very 03:00 lonely. 03:01 Like, for example, you've got 03:02 kids who might be in school, 03:03 they're surrounded by 20 03:05 classmates, but they might feel 03:06 lonely because they're not 03:07 getting that connection, right, 03:09 same as work, you know, you 03:10 could be at work, you could be 03:11 lonely at work, at church and, 03:13 you know, so forth. 03:14 So just 'cause you're in a 03:15 social group, doesn't 03:17 necessarily mean that you're 03:18 well-connected, so that could-- 03:19 that's gonna lead to 03:21 loneliness. 03:22 >> Loneliness has affected me 03:24 personally in a number of ways. 03:27 When I moved away from my 03:29 community back in British 03:31 Columbia and I came home during 03:32 COVID, I fell into a mild 03:36 depression. 03:36 I stopped wanting to exercise, 03:39 I stopped really caring to eat 03:40 healthy, I spent less time 03:42 outdoors, more time on my phone 03:43 and my computer and from there 03:45 my health just really began to 03:47 deteriorate. 03:48 So loneliness directly impacts 03:52 our health. 03:54 >> So scientific evidence shows 03:56 that loneliness is linked with 03:57 increased risk of depression, 04:00 anxiety, unfortunately, 04:02 suicidal ideation, substance 04:04 use, drug use, alcohol use, 04:07 those types of things. 04:08 So that's the mental aspect and 04:09 I think people could probably 04:10 understand that, they can get 04:12 that link, but also physical 04:13 health as well. 04:15 So now we know that loneliness 04:16 is linked with increased risk 04:18 of chronic diseases like type 2 04:19 diabetes, heart disease, 04:22 stroke, even Alzheimer's 04:24 disease. 04:24 So loneliness has not only a 04:27 mental health aspect effect, 04:29 but also a physical effect 04:31 as well. 04:32 And physiologically it makes 04:35 sense because science now shows 04:37 that lonely individuals, they 04:39 have higher rates of-- higher 04:40 levels of inflammation in the 04:41 body and we know chronic 04:43 inflammation leads to chronic 04:45 disease. 04:46 So people actually, when you're 04:48 lonely there's the inflammation 04:49 levels go up in the body and 04:51 that, over time, that's gonna 04:53 put people at greater risk of 04:56 these chronic diseases. 04:57 It's probably not the only 04:58 factor that causes someone to 04:59 get diabetes, but, you know, 05:01 poor lifestyle habits and 05:03 eating habits and sedentary 05:04 behaviour plus loneliness, 05:06 that's a recipe for disease, 05:08 right, so...yeah. 05:10 >> So then, Dr. Cho, what's the 05:12 importance then of having 05:15 social connections? 05:17 Is there research that shows 05:19 the importance of these social 05:20 connections? 05:22 >> Absolutely. 05:22 So social connections is really 05:24 important, the American College 05:25 of Lifestyle Medicine has 05:28 social connections as one of 05:29 its pillars of lifestyle 05:31 medicine along with diet, 05:32 exercise, staying away from 05:35 harmful substances, sleep, and 05:37 they have social connections 05:39 and that's based on research. 05:41 For example, in the Blue Zones, 05:42 if you look in the Blue Zones, 05:43 right, they found that the 05:46 centenarians who were living 05:47 long lives, one of the things 05:49 that Dan Buettner found was 05:51 that they all have strong 05:52 social connections. 05:53 So for example, he went to 05:54 Okinawa and he found these 05:57 Okinawan women who'd been 05:59 friends for over ninety years, 06:01 you know, so it's called a 06:03 Moais in Okinawa and basically 06:05 when you're young you join a 06:07 Moais which is a social group 06:09 and you're friends for life, 06:11 right? 06:11 And science shows, there's one 06:13 study where they looked at 06:16 mortality, so this is-- you 06:17 track a population over time 06:20 and you see who dies and what 06:22 is associated with those 06:23 deaths. 06:24 And they looked at-- they 06:25 compared eating six servings of 06:27 fruits and vegetables every 06:28 day, they looked at 06:30 Mediterranean diet, regular 06:32 physical activity, and then 06:34 good social connections. 06:35 Now if you ask most people 06:36 which one, which factor is the 06:38 most important, they would say 06:39 maybe the fruits and vegetables, 06:41 or the exercise, but, you know, 06:43 it was actually social 06:44 connections. 06:45 So having strong social 06:46 connections had a greater 06:47 effect in lowering the risk of 06:49 mortality than even regular 06:51 exercise or Mediterranean diet 06:53 and six to-- six servings of 06:55 fruits and vegetables. 06:56 So that tells you how important 06:57 social connections are. 07:00 >> Social connections in 07:01 general are so important, but 07:04 studies have also shown that 07:05 when you touch, the benefits of 07:07 social connection are even 07:09 greater. 07:09 Hugs reduce stress, they help 07:12 improve your immune system, and 07:14 so much more. 07:15 They did a study with 200 07:16 adults and they broke them up 07:18 into two groups. 07:19 Couples were put into a room 07:21 and they were told to hold 07:22 hands for ten minutes followed 07:24 by a 20-second hug. 07:26 The second group, again 07:28 couples, were put into a room 07:30 and just to sit in silence for 07:32 ten minutes and twenty seconds. 07:34 At the end of the study, they 07:36 found that those in the first 07:38 group who were holding hands 07:39 and hugging had greater 07:40 reductions in blood pressure 07:42 and heart rate. 07:44 So that just goes to show how 07:45 important being connected, not 07:47 only together, but physically, 07:50 is so important for our health. 07:53 >> From a health perspective, 07:54 longevity perspective, social 07:55 connections are really 07:56 important. 07:57 To get more specific, if you 07:59 look at, like, elderly 08:00 individuals, when an elderly 08:03 individual remains married, for 08:05 example, that enhances their 08:07 longevity. 08:08 When that elderly individual, 08:11 they stay connected with 08:12 grandchildren, for example, 08:13 that also enhances their 08:15 survival. 08:16 So in one study they looked at 08:18 elderly individuals, those who 08:20 had regular interaction with 08:21 their grandkids, elders who did 08:24 not, and elders who had no 08:25 grandkids, and out of that 08:27 group, the elders who had 08:30 regular interaction with their 08:31 grandkids, so that social 08:33 connection, they-- their 08:35 survival was better. 08:37 So social connections are 08:38 really, really, really 08:39 important and marriage as well 08:42 is very important, it's a 08:44 social bond that promotes 08:45 health as well, so... 08:47 Again, centenarians, many-- in 08:50 the Blue Zones, many of them, 08:51 they remain married, their 08:53 divorce rates are often lower. 08:56 So especially for men, having 08:59 a-- being in a marriage 09:01 relationship seems to promote 09:02 health and that's because all 09:03 the benefits from that social 09:05 interaction. 09:06 So the research is pretty clear 09:08 that social interactions are 09:09 really important for health. 09:12 >> One of the ways that people 09:14 get together is around food and 09:17 so right now our friends Cathy 09:19 and Arlete are going to prepare 09:22 a meal that is one of their 09:24 comfort foods. 09:25 So let's take a look at this. 09:30 >> Hello, my name is Cathy 09:31 Marcos and this is my 09:32 sister-in-law. 09:33 >> Hi, I'm Arlete Susana and 09:34 today we're in the kitchen with 09:35 our family. 09:37 And being a home-schooling 09:38 family, this is a pretty common 09:39 scene around our home. 09:40 [CATHY] Absolutely. 09:41 [ARLETE] Both our homes. 09:42 [CATHY] Absolutely. 09:42 [ARLETE] We always cook 09:43 together and when we do cook 09:45 together, it's not only to make 09:46 our load lighter as moms, but 09:49 also to teach our children life 09:50 skills and also to take 09:52 opportunity to connect with one 09:53 another. 09:54 [CATHY] Yeah, we really connect 09:55 during those times. 09:56 We talk, we play, we laugh. 09:59 We have fun. 10:00 [ARLETE] It's great. 10:01 And today we're gonna show you 10:02 one of our favourite recipes or 10:04 one of our favourite meals, 10:05 soup. 10:06 We love soup. 10:08 The recipe that we're gonna 10:09 show you today is not really a 10:10 recipe, it's basically just 10:13 joining ingredients that we 10:14 would normally have in our 10:15 fridge and incorporating some 10:16 of the things that we have in 10:18 our organic garden and throwing 10:20 them together to make a lovely 10:21 meal for our families. 10:22 So... 10:23 [CATHY] And it's a wonderful 10:24 way to clean out your fridge. 10:25 If you have vegetables you 10:26 don't know what to do, perfect, 10:27 soup. 10:28 Soup day. 10:28 [ARLETE] And there's no right 10:29 or wrong combination, right? 10:30 [CATHY] Nope, there isn't. 10:31 [ARLETE] Can customize it. 10:32 So for today's recipe we're 10:33 gonna actually show you what 10:35 we've got together. 10:36 We'll give you the proportions 10:38 for those, but, again, you're 10:40 not limited to these and you 10:42 can create your own version of 10:44 this or completely be 10:45 customizing it to your 10:47 flavours. 10:47 So why don't we get started? 10:50 So today we're going to be 10:52 adding two zucchinis. 10:54 [CATHY] Okay, I'll help you 10:55 with this one. 10:56 [ARLETE] Yeah. 10:57 And you don't have to dice them 10:58 too large, you can go ahead and 11:00 put it in, please. 11:01 Thanks. 11:02 [CATHY] No problem. 11:03 >> We're putting in one 11:04 sweet potato. 11:06 And they're diced pretty 11:07 uniformly, they don't have to 11:09 be any specific size and then 11:12 how many carrots? 11:13 >> We have about two to three, 11:14 two to three here. 11:15 >> These are about medium 11:16 carrots, but, again, you can 11:17 add three carrots, four carrots 11:19 depending on the size and 11:21 depending on what you have 11:22 on hand. 11:22 We also are putting about half 11:24 a head of chopped cauliflower. 11:26 >> That's always nice, yeah. 11:27 >> Yeah. 11:28 >> That's a nice one. 11:30 >> And then we're adding two 11:32 large onions. 11:34 >> I love adding onions, you 11:35 can never go wrong. 11:36 >> No, you can't. 11:37 >> No. 11:38 >> Woop, there we go. 11:41 We also love garlic in our 11:43 home. 11:44 Today's soup is gonna have four 11:45 cloves of garlic and we're not 11:47 even dicing or chopping those 11:49 up, we're just adding them in 11:50 whole. 11:51 Okay. 11:52 >> That's good. 11:53 >> And then we're adding about 11:54 six medium potatoes, diced. 11:58 Actually this pot might not be 12:00 big enough for all of these 12:01 veggies. 12:02 We might have to transfer them. 12:05 We do need a bigger pot. 12:06 Do you have a bigger pot 12:06 on hand? 12:07 >> I do have a bigger pot. 12:08 >> Alright. 12:08 >> Usually I do it in bigger 12:09 pots, but...[laughs] 12:10 >> So now what we do, we're 12:11 gonna transfer this to a bigger 12:12 pot, we're gonna cover it with 12:14 water until the water is over 12:17 the surface of the vegetables 12:19 and then you can add your 12:20 seasonings. 12:21 So there-- are there any 12:22 specific ones that you can 12:23 suggest? 12:24 >> Well, salt for one. 12:26 Actually we like to use 12:27 Herbamare because it cuts down 12:29 on the sodium because it's a 12:30 mix of herbs in there. 12:32 >> And you can add things like 12:33 turmeric or any kind of herbs 12:35 from your garden, either fresh 12:37 or dehydrated herbs, so you can 12:40 add oregano or basil or... 12:42 >> Yeah, cilantro... 12:43 >> Yeah, perfect. 12:44 >> Parsley, anything. 12:45 >> So we're gonna go ahead and 12:45 do that. 12:46 >> Okay. 12:49 [ARLETE] So now that we've 12:50 transferred it to a larger pot 12:52 and added the water, we 12:53 seasoned it and now we're 12:54 letting it boil until the 12:56 vegetables are nice and soft. 12:58 And for this version of the 12:59 soup what we do next is once 13:01 the veggies are soft and ready, 13:02 we take an immersion hand 13:03 blender and just puree it all 13:05 into a nice puree... 13:06 [CATHY] Yeah, and then we add a 13:08 handful of spinach, one or two, 13:11 some beans, and millet. 13:13 [ARLETE] Excellent. 13:13 And you can choose whatever 13:14 grain you'd like to add to that 13:15 to make it versatile. 13:17 And once it's all ready to 13:18 serve, we can serve it to our 13:20 family and enjoy, but another 13:21 thing that we like to do and 13:22 that we encourage you to do is 13:24 to share it with others. 13:25 [CATHY] Absolutely and it's a 13:26 great opportunity to share it 13:28 with someone who's sick or a 13:30 shut-in, it's a wonderful 13:31 blessing for them. 13:32 [ARLETE] It's a great way to 13:33 reach out and to show Jesus's 13:34 love to the community. 13:36 We hope that you've enjoyed 13:37 watching us make our version of 13:39 this soup and we hope that 13:40 you're encouraged to try making 13:41 your own version of it. 13:43 Add your own veggies and 13:44 whatever you have on hand, make 13:45 it a twist and make it your own 13:47 and make sure that you share it 13:48 not only with your family, but 13:49 that you bless others with it. 13:51 Have a great day! 13:55 >> Isn't it amazing how food is 13:58 so good for us and also how it 14:00 enhances connections and it 14:02 just brings people together. 14:04 It's such a fun thing and, you 14:07 know, the Bible, I think it 14:09 also talks about how important 14:10 it is for us to get together. 14:12 Dr. Cho, are there places in 14:14 the Bible where it tells us 14:16 that being connected is 14:19 important for us? 14:21 >> I think the Bible tells us 14:22 that we're supposed to be 14:23 connected by design. 14:24 So if you look at Genesis, it 14:26 talks about how God created the 14:28 animals and the earth, then He 14:30 creates man, so He creates Adam 14:33 first, and we all know what He 14:35 says after, He said, "It's not 14:37 good that he's alone." 14:39 So what does God do? 14:40 He creates a woman. 14:42 But he doesn't even stop there. 14:44 After He creates the woman, 14:45 what does He say? 14:46 He says, "Be fruitful and 14:47 multiply," so have children. 14:49 So I think-- that's-- I think 14:51 it clearly shows that by design 14:53 humans are supposed to be 14:55 connected socially, right? 14:57 And it's throughout the Bible, 14:59 like, I was thinking about 15:00 the, in Leviticus where, you 15:03 know, it talks about the 15:04 Israelites and their journey 15:05 through the wilderness and, of 15:07 course, God gives various 15:09 instructions to Moses, to the 15:11 Israelites on how to live their 15:13 life and-- but also it talks 15:15 about festivals that the 15:17 Israelites were supposed to 15:18 keep throughout the year and I 15:20 think there was like five or 15:21 six different festivals that 15:24 they were supposed to keep and 15:25 some of these were like a 15:26 week long. 15:27 And if you think about that, 15:30 that was God telling the 15:32 Israelites that you need to 15:33 keep these festivals and these 15:35 festivals not just Israelites 15:37 by themselves in their tents 15:39 worshipping God, these are 15:41 social events, right? 15:42 So I think God knew that the 15:44 Israelites needed time to 15:46 reconnect with Him, but also 15:47 time to get away from the work 15:49 and reconnect with the wider 15:51 community. 15:52 So even, like, within the 15:54 Israelite calendar, it-- they 15:57 were supposed to have these set 15:59 times for social connection. 16:00 Then if you look in the New 16:02 Testament, Jesus, He wasn't 16:04 just a one-man show, He had His 16:06 twelve friends, the disciples. 16:09 So even Jesus by example, He 16:11 wasn't just going around by 16:12 Himself, He had a group of 16:14 associates so even Himself, He 16:16 was immersed in social 16:17 connection. 16:18 Of course, He was always, He 16:20 was in gatherings, He's-- He 16:23 accepted the hospitality of 16:24 other and so forth, right? 16:26 And then after Jesus dies with 16:29 the early church, what 16:30 do we see? 16:31 It's not Christians in their 16:32 home worshipping by themselves, 16:34 the Bible says they got 16:35 together and some of then even 16:37 daily breaking bread, so it 16:39 wasn't just Bible study, they 16:41 were eating together and 16:42 socializing and in Hebrews it 16:44 says, "Don't forsake the 16:46 assembling of yourselves 16:47 together," right? 16:49 So I think all through the 16:50 Bible it's very clear that 16:52 social connections are 16:53 important, especially when we 16:55 look at Genesis, it's very 16:56 clear that by design, humans 16:59 are meant to be socially 17:01 connected starting with, 17:02 obviously, the family unit and 17:04 then expanding from there. 17:05 And so this explains why when 17:08 humans are disconnected we do 17:11 not do well because by design 17:12 we're meant to be socially 17:14 connected. 17:16 >> I think Jesus met a lot of 17:18 lonely people when He was on 17:19 this earth, but a couple people 17:21 that come to mind are, one, 17:23 Matthew the tax collector. 17:25 Tax collectors were despised in 17:27 that age and in that time and 17:29 Jesus took him in not only as a 17:31 fellow believer, but as His 17:34 personal twelve which is the 17:35 closest that any of them got to 17:37 Jesus Himself. 17:39 Jesus loved and helped and 17:41 cared for these people. 17:42 And the second person that 17:44 comes to mind is the woman at 17:45 the well. 17:46 She had many husbands which, in 17:49 that time, was greatly looked 17:51 down upon. 17:52 She didn't really have anyone 17:53 to turn to, she went to draw 17:54 water at a different time of 17:55 day than all the other women 17:57 because she was that hated or, 18:00 you know, neglected. 18:01 So what did Jesus do? 18:03 He spoke with her, He welcomed 18:05 her, and then He told her to go 18:07 connect with other people. 18:09 So Jesus helped lonely people, 18:11 He brought them into Himself 18:13 and then He encouraged them to 18:15 go and maybe even find some 18:16 other lonely people themselves. 18:20 >> You know, Dr. Cho, according 18:21 to Statistics Canada, young 18:25 people in Canada are lonely, 18:28 more lonely, more often and 18:31 more intense than elderly 18:32 people, and so there's a higher 18:35 percentage of young people that 18:37 are lonely. 18:39 Can you explain to us why or 18:41 why do you think that there's 18:42 such a higher percentage of 18:44 young people here in Canada 18:46 that are experiencing 18:47 loneliness? 18:48 >> Right, right, and it's 18:49 exacerbated through the 18:51 lock-downs and the pandemic and 18:53 all that. 18:54 You know, when I was little bit 18:58 younger, when we gathered for 19:00 church youth group, we would 19:03 all be talking, you know, and 19:06 when I was a kid, if you wanted 19:08 to have fun, you had to kinda 19:10 leave the house and you had to, 19:11 like, we played road hockey and 19:13 stuff like that. 19:14 But, you know, when I look at 19:16 the new group of young people 19:18 coming in, even when we're 19:21 gathered together for, like, 19:22 after church, they're all on 19:24 their phones, it's very 19:25 fascinating. 19:26 And unlike any time in human 19:29 history, to entertain 19:32 ourselves, we don't need 19:35 others, we can be alone, so you 19:38 can play video games by 19:39 yourself, you can watch Netflix 19:41 by yourself, you can use the 19:43 internet by yourself and cell 19:46 phones, all that by yourself. 19:48 So I think young people are 19:50 gravitating towards that, but 19:52 the research shows it never 19:54 replaces the one-on-one, the 19:57 actual direct contact with 19:59 people. 19:59 I think that could be part of 20:00 the reason, also we know that 20:04 so many kids are raised now in, 20:06 like, broken homes where 20:09 families are torn apart and so 20:11 there's already that disconnect 20:14 there, so that could probably 20:16 contribute to loneliness 20:17 as well. 20:18 So I think there's a whole set 20:20 of circumstances that's coming 20:21 together to create this 20:23 syndemic, if you will, this 20:25 issue of loneliness, not just 20:27 in Canada, but across the 20:28 world. 20:29 >> So, Dr. Cho, talk about some 20:32 steps, some practical steps 20:34 that a person can take to 20:36 increase the number of 20:38 connections that they have. 20:40 >> You know, the Bible talks 20:41 about hospitality and the 20:42 importance of that and I think 20:45 one of the things that we can 20:46 do is to be hospitable. 20:48 Invite people to your home and 20:51 entertain guests, that is one 20:52 way to really develop social 20:54 connections. 20:55 I learned that from my mom when 20:56 we were-- when we first came to 20:58 church, you know, we were very 21:00 shy individuals, you know, but 21:03 my mom was very hospitable 21:04 individual, almost every week 21:06 she would invite all the youth 21:08 group, it was like 30 kids, and 21:10 she would invite them 21:11 to our home. 21:12 So that's good stimulation for 21:13 her, obviously, but also for 21:15 us, you know, we're shy, but 21:17 practising that hospitality 21:19 allowed us to have those social 21:21 connections. 21:22 So I think that's one thing, to 21:25 practice hospitality, I think 21:26 it's really important, but 21:27 also, you know, you can get 21:28 involved in church life, 21:31 volunteer in an organization 21:33 that's reaching out to the 21:34 community, those types of 21:36 things I think are good steps 21:39 to get socially connected, 21:41 yeah. 21:42 >> I really like that idea 21:44 because when we're hospitable 21:45 like that we are creating a 21:47 community... 21:48 >> Correct, yeah. 21:49 >> ...of people pressing 21:50 together and coming together 21:52 and connecting with each other 21:54 and that's so hopeful and so 21:56 encouraging if we can do that 21:58 with each other, if we can pray 22:00 together and eat together and... 22:02 So I really like that idea of 22:04 hospitality. 22:06 >> We recently moved to a place 22:08 where we didn't know anybody 22:10 and that move brought with it a 22:15 lot of new friends and new 22:16 faces that has been such a 22:18 great blessing in our life. 22:20 So being open to explore, being 22:24 open to accept everyone and 22:25 being empathetic with 22:26 everyone's situations and 22:29 points in their lives, it's a 22:31 great way to start building new 22:33 relationships and new 22:34 connections. 22:35 >> Yeah, I totally agree and I 22:37 think one other way that we can 22:38 be more socially connected is 22:40 being willing to serve. 22:42 The more that we're willing to 22:43 help others, you know, put 22:45 ourselves in other's positions, 22:47 that increases our empathy and 22:49 being willing to be friendly. 22:50 You know people generally miss 22:52 seeing smiles after being 22:54 masked up for so many months 22:56 and so just being willing to 22:57 help others where it's-- that 22:59 need it will go a long way 23:01 in being socially connected. 23:04 >> So, Dr. Cho, what hope can 23:07 Jesus give to those of us and 23:10 to people who are lonely? 23:12 >> Right. 23:13 You know, it's interesting, the 23:15 Bible talks about characters 23:17 who had lonely experiences and 23:20 how, obviously, when you're 23:22 lonely, you feel like no one's 23:23 listening, no one's watching, 23:25 no one cares. 23:27 But then they realize that God 23:29 was actually watching and there 23:31 all along. 23:31 So one of my favourite examples 23:33 is this woman named Hagar in 23:35 the Bible and Hagar is a 23:37 servant girl, she's the servant 23:40 of Abraham and Sarah, and 23:44 Abraham and Sarah, they don't 23:46 have kids, so as is the custom 23:48 in the day, you know, Abraham 23:51 goes with another woman, it so 23:53 happens that it's Hagar, this 23:55 servant girl, so Sarah gives 23:57 Hagar to Abraham and when Hagar 24:00 gets promoted, she starts to 24:02 get a little bit arrogant and 24:04 that obviously causes frictions 24:06 with Sarah and then, you know, 24:08 then it boils over to the point 24:11 where Hagar actually runs away. 24:14 And the Bible says that she 24:15 ends up running into the 24:16 wilderness by herself. 24:18 Remember, she's a slave girl, 24:19 right, so there's nobody around 24:21 and so she must have been very 24:22 lonely, very-- felt like no one 24:25 cares, you know, and so forth. 24:28 But then the Bible says that 24:30 she encounters an angel. 24:32 So in her loneliness, God sends 24:34 His angel and comforts her, 24:37 tells her, you know, "Go back 24:39 to Abraham and Sarah," and also 24:41 encourages her by saying, 24:43 "You're gonna have a child, 24:44 you're gonna have a man child," 24:45 you know, a son. 24:47 And it's interesting, after 24:48 that, it's interesting, Sarah-- 24:50 Hagar, she says, she actually 24:52 gives a name to God, saying, 24:54 "He's the one that sees me." 24:56 Very interesting. 24:57 So in this experience where she 25:00 felt like no one's watching 25:01 her, no one cares, no one sees 25:03 her, but she recognizes that 25:04 there was a God who sees her. 25:07 Jesus promises that He is gonna 25:09 be there for us in our lonely 25:12 times and I think we could take 25:13 encouragement from that, yeah. 25:16 >> So a final question about 25:19 the church, what do you think 25:20 the church can do to help 25:23 people in this quest to find 25:26 social connections? 25:27 >> You know, one of my 25:28 favourite authors, she says, 25:31 "Christ's method alone will 25:32 bring true success." 25:34 Jesus mingled with men. 25:37 He sought their good, right, 25:39 and she says there should be 25:42 less sermonizing and more 25:45 personal contact. 25:48 >> And as we close off, I 25:50 wonder, Dr. Cho, could you say 25:52 a prayer for our viewers? 25:55 There may be people who are 25:56 saying, "Hey, I really want 25:58 more connections in my life," 25:59 and that they can find people 26:02 who are genuine friends, people 26:04 who listen with their heart and 26:07 can be a part of a community 26:09 of faith. 26:10 [DR. CHO] For sure. 26:13 Father in heaven, Lord, I wanna 26:15 pray for those who are 26:18 listening today. 26:20 Maybe some of them are 26:21 struggling with loneliness or 26:24 they don't have that 26:25 connectedness to their family 26:27 and-- that they would like. 26:30 I wanna ask, Lord, that first, 26:32 they would look to You, that 26:34 they would realize in You that 26:36 they can find the connection 26:38 that they need, but also, Lord, 26:41 I wanna pray that You lead them 26:43 to friends and good social 26:46 groups that can nurture them 26:49 and meet their needs. 26:50 So, Lord, I wanna pray for each 26:52 individual who's struggling, 26:54 that You would be with them 26:55 and guide them each step 26:57 of the way. 26:58 We wanna pray this in Jesus' 27:00 name, amen. 27:01 [MIKE] Amen. 27:02 [RENÉ] Amen. 27:04 Dr. George, thank you so much 27:05 for joining us on It Is Written 27:07 Canada today. 27:09 >> Thank you very much for 27:09 having me. 27:12 >> We really do have a 27:14 desperate need for making 27:15 connections with others. 27:17 >> Our free offer can help you 27:20 make those meaningful 27:21 connections. 27:22 It is entitled I Want More 27:25 BLANK In My Life. 27:27 >> You fill in the blank. 27:29 I want more connections in my 27:31 life or peace, freedom, joy, 27:34 hope, rest, security, 27:37 you name it. 27:38 This little book can help you 27:40 find what you are searching for. 27:44 Before you go, we would like to 27:46 invite you to follow us on 27:48 Instagram and Facebook and 27:50 subscribe to our YouTube 27:52 channel and also listen to our 27:54 Podcasts. 27:55 And if you go to our website, 27:58 you can see our latest 27:59 programs. 28:00 [MIKE] Friends, if you want more 28:03 connections in your life, we 28:05 would like to recommend that 28:07 you turn to God who knows that 28:10 it is not good for you to be 28:12 alone. 28:14 >> Turn to the Bible where 28:16 Jesus receives strength in His 28:18 time of critical need when He 28:20 declared, "It is written, ‘Man 28:23 shall not live by bread alone, 28:25 but by every word that proceeds 28:28 out of the mouth of God.'" 28:30 ♪♪ |
Revised 2023-02-07