FREEWAY: DON'T GIVE UP

By Mohan Karulkar: When I started flipping through my newly-arrived Freeway material, the first thing I thought was "I don't know anyone I can do this with."

I've been out of school for over 5 years, and it's been tough forming new relationships. No more dorms, no more shared classes, no more late-night runs to McDonalds. I never really appreciated those friendship-building experiences till they were over.

The funny thing is, I have lots of friends. I'm involved at my church, and my workplace has hired many younger people since I came.  The difference, I think, is depth. I know, because of how I responded to the Freeway materials.

"I don't know anyone I can do this with."

How can that be?  I lead a guy's group every Saturday morning, and I can't find some guys to deep dive into Freeway with?

No, the answer isn't "I don't know anyone," but "I'm afraid of trying."

I decided that, this time, I wasn't going to be afraid. I mustered up the courage to show the material to a few others guys and asked if they'd dig into it with me.  To my surprise, they all said yes. They all admitted that they'd been missing the same kind of depth, despite being similarly surrounded by friends.  Shocking, right?

And so, I think we're actually going to do this.   My hope is that we walk out free. Free from the chains of our past, of course, but also free from the crippling, silent lonliness that seems to define so many men (and women, I imagine) of a certain age.  We're more connected than ever, but our hearts are more isolated than ever.  It affects our marriages, our jobs, our health, and our faith. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Today is #NoQuitMonday.  If you're looking at the material and saying "I don't know anyone I can do this with," choose to do it anyway.  ASK, and you'll find that you're not alone -- I guarantee it.

Don't give up; don't give in.

Learn more about Freeway here, and share your thoughts below.