Everyone Needs Someone

Thursday - August 19th

Scripture to Read Today: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

---

Two are better than one.

Ecclesiastes 4:9

Marissa Meizz, 23, was out to dinner with a friend in the East Village of New York City when her phone began to ring in mid-May. She tried to turn it off, but the texts continued to arrive. They were all curious if she had watched the TikTok video.

When she clicked on the link, a young man came on the screen. "Please listen up if your name is Marissa," he continued. He claimed he had just overheard some of her friends discussing how they were planning a party while she was out of town that weekend. They indicated they did not want her there. "You need to know," he said. "TikTok, please assist me in locating Marissa."

Discouraged and feeling abandoned and betrayed, she confirmed that she was the Marissa in question. Then, she spoke with the man who posted the video, which had received over 14 million views.

Rather than wallow in self-pity, Meizz resolved to take action. She went on TikTok to announce that the video was about her. The reaction was immediate. "People started emailing me right away saying, 'Let's be buddies!'" she remarked.

Meizz received over 5,000 messages within days of her TikTok reveal. Strangers invited her to birthday celebrations, housewarming parties, and weddings. Then, as summer arrived and coronavirus limitations were eased, tens of thousands of people appeared eager for new contacts, particularly young adults.

In June, Meizz made a TikTok video urging anyone looking for new acquaintances to meet her at Central Park on a Saturday. The video became extremely popular. Two hundred people attended the meet-up on the day of the event. They laughed, played games, spoke, and bonded for over eight hours.

Meizz was so inspired by the event that she founded No More Lonely Friends, an online community for people wishing to meet new people in real life. She initiated meet-ups all over the country - like the one she initially organized in Central Park.

Meizz, who hasn't spoken to the former pals who purposely planned a party without her, claims she now has enough new friends. Her mission, however, is to make sure no one lives without friends in their lives. So Meizz's No more Lonely Friends continues to build a viral community of folks who feel abandoned, left out, or betrayed.

The Scriptures have much to say about the necessity and power of friendship in our lives. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 reminds us that we are stronger in community with others. Verse nine says, "two are better than one." Everyone needs someone in their lives. Do you have someone? Are you the someone in another person's life?

After more than a year of masks, lockdowns, and isolation, it is too easy to drift from the friendships and relationships that were so important to us before the pandemic. As a pastor, I have heard from many who feel lost and alone. They long to have people in their lives again.

Take time to reach out today to a friend or two with whom you have not connected recently. Check-in and see how they are doing. Keep your eyes open for anyone who crosses your path online or in-person who seems to lack critical friendships. Step into that relationship so that you can be that someone in their life! Join Marissa Meizz in stirring up connections and relationships - helping others find friends.

God wired people so that everyone needs at least one someone in their lives!