WEEK 22

P r ay e r

“Zero Degrees of Separation” Dear Father, thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love. Please remind me that
when I’m feeling alone and overwhelmed, You are right here with me, promising to never
by Pam Kennedy leave. Amen.

Memory Verse: Romans 8:38-39

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
T u e s d ay
There is a theory, popularized by sociologist Stanley Milgram in the 1960’s and later verified
by Columbia University Professor Duncan Watts in 2001, dubbed “six degrees of separation.” It
claims that if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from
each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is at most six steps
away from any other person on Earth.

It’s an interesting theory, but it’s not very comforting! At best it reminds us that we live in a
“human web” populated by strangers to whom we’re mysteriously connected. We may never
meet these other people and they probably aren’t concerned about us. Although we’re W e d n e s d ay
connected, we still remain separated, lonely souls in an impersonal world.

For 28 years, my husband and I lived the life of a Navy family. We moved 19 times, uprooted
from family and childhood friends, continually wrenched from neighbors and Bible study
partners, transferred away from close-knit small groups and church fellowships, repeatedly
changing schools, homes, and communities. Our three children learned to make friends
quickly, but not too closely because there were always “good-byes” waiting down the road just
a short distance from the “hellos.” 
T h u r s d ay
And then there were the numerous deployments lasting from six to nine months each.
Sometimes it was difficult to feel connected when we were apart for anniversaries, birthdays,
Christmases, school plays, skinned knees, parent-teacher conferences, and the births of two of
our children. The military calls these periods in a family’s life, “being separated.” 

The amazing thing is, however, that throughout all those years, we were never really
separated. Unlike the unfortunate individuals caught in the human web of Professor Watts’ “six
degrees of separation,” we had the assurance that “nothing could ever separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:39b) Wherever we were, God was with F r i d ay
us, around us, in us. That’s the amazing reality of living a life empowered by Jesus Christ.

As Paul reminds us in these verses, there is nothing we can experience or imagine that can
drive a wedge between us and God’s love. When friends move away, when we face betrayal,
or even death, Scripture assures us that we are eternally near the One who is the constant and
caring Head of our family.
 

Under Armor For All Believers