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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with the Revd Carolyn Skinner, CEO of Third Space Ministries

Good morning

A while ago I watched a TV programme called ‘How to Live to 100’. Would it offer the secret to eternal youth I wondered?! Would it reveal some kind of magic answer? The presenter travelled to communities around the world where people have better health and live longer than average. It turned out that the connecting factors weren’t complicated. One theme that came through strongly was the importance of relationship. The vital factor of being in community rather than isolated and alone. According to numerous studies, people with strong social connections may live longer, healthier lives.

Isolation and loneliness is a huge problem in the UK. In 2022 almost half of UK adults reported feeling lonely. We all have a responsibility to create community and invest in relationships, whether that be through a phone call, a visit, an invitation or something else. We can stem the tide of loneliness if we all play our part.

Building relationships is central to my work as a chaplain. It requires being relational, journeying with someone, helping them to thrive by signposting them to healthy communities. It is evident that our basic human need is to be in relationship.

Father God, thank you that you are a relational God. You are not distant and inaccessible, but you know us and you walk with us. Help us to see the possibilities before us to invest in relationships and look out for those who are isolated. Amen