“Our society is alienating, technical, cold, and mystifying. Our fundamental desire, as human beings, is to be close to others, and our society does not allow for that” (“Tribe” by Sebastian Junger, pg. 49).

If we are going to change the culture we live in, it has to start with us drawing near to Jesus. And once we do, we will start to see the value of life and relationships.

Think about it: It’s only been recently that we have rooms for each child in the house. It’s only been recently that we can stream media on multiple devices within seconds. It’s only been recently that we can contact almost anyone at the snap of the finger. But how often do you have interaction face to face with humans outside of your family, school or work place?

Our culture isn’t built well to survive moments of pain or crisis, so when that happens, we don’t know how to cope. I believe this is one of the reasons why the suicide rate is rapidly climbing. We have developed a artificial culture/society.

When is the last time you reached out to someone just to talk and connect? We don’t let people in, and so we hide in our phones or TV programs — and all the while we are dying a slow, complacent death. How do we get out and help others get out?

“Let us consider how to stimulate others towards love and good deeds.” — Hebrews 10:24

— Brian Hommel, Arizona Diamondbacks chaplain

The Increase, part of the Sports Spectrum Network, is a community of Christian pro athletes sharing their personal stories of the decrease of self and the increase of Christ (John 3:30). Visit TheIncrease.com for more stories and videos.