The possibilities for pain are endless when in relationship with others. If we want to avoid frustration, burdens and heartbreak we should stay far away from people. We do this when we leave church before anyone can grab us for lunch, when we let our phone go to voicemail and refuse to allow conversations to get too deep. Allowing ourselves to be known and loved by others is an act of faith. Often times surface level interaction seems safer. Tim Keller notes that “to be known

I told myself I wouldn’t do this but… These past weeks have been hard. I’m back at home and have no friends around me. I don’t yet have a spiritual mentor here, and I’m still looking for a church family. Feeling the pangs of loneliness, I have been checking out dating websites because…well, I wonder what’s it like to date. An innocent curiosity. But I do it in secret, and no one knows that I am clicking like on guys’ profile pics. Isn’t that something? For something so simple