5 degrees of seperation

This may not be as unusual as I think, but the distances over which it takes place, make my mind ponder the enormity of this feet. It goes something like this (names have been changed so as to protect those 18 years and younger) Christian is friends with Evangelist and Faith, Evangelist is friends with Hope, Faith is friends with Mercy, Evangelist does not know Faith and Faith does not know Evangelist, but Faith’s friend Mercy is friends With Evangelist’s friend Hope, and Christian, knows of, but is not friends with Hope or Mercy. Like I said it is nothing unique just a basic five degrees of separation. A circle with 5 points, were the adjacent points are friends.

Now the unique part; first step, Christian is from a town that is almost a suburb of Cleveland Ohio. He leaves there to attend a private university in northern Indiana that is 151 miles away from home. While there he becomes best friends with Evangelist. Evangelist is from a small town in between Muncie and Richmond Indiana that is 189 miles from Christian’s home town. Next, Christian good friends with Faith through a small church they both attend in Christian’s home town. Second step, Evangelist knows and is friends with Hope though his church. Faith is friends with Mercy through high school. Now for the real crazy part step three. Mercy became friends with Hope in Africa (>1K miles from their respective hometowns), where they were on the same mission trip, through TeenMania Global Expeditions.

Is it not Astounding that 5 people, that live about 200 miles apart, share a common friendship? It is, especially, since this recent news article from the New your times that calls the “six degrees of separation theory” an academic myth. So what do I make of this? Why do I write of this coincidence? Mostly, I think that this is another display of God’s providence. Why would God cause this to happen? I really don’t know. Other than, in the bible most miracles are done so that “All might know that I Am God” (Ex 6:7, Lev 23:43, Deut 4:35, Josh 4:24, 1 Sam 17:46, 1 King 18:47, ect).

But then again it has been my experience that people of a solid Christian faith tend to be friends with other solid Christian faith. For as much as “bad company corrupts good character” (1 Cor. 15:33 NIV) so also that iron sharpens iron so a man sharpens his friend (Prov. 27:17) and “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed,” (Prov. 13:20) So that, Evangelist and Hope would be friends and that Christian and Faith would be friends through church is no surprise. So it is no surprise, since they all share the common bond of Christ, and still a great surprise because of the distance. God is awesome.

(if you were wondering were I got the names from Read “Pilgrims Progress” by John Bunyan. you can get it free at Google here or also free in audio book form here)

My Friends

On this blue sphere where charity’s forgone
My friends eclipse the heartless throng
With compassion that flows like a mountain stream
And joy that radiates like the sun’s summer beams
Their love is rooted in God’s holy grace
An unblemished mirror they reflect His face
On tough journey to the heavenly gates
Their presence helps ease the grueling gait
Correcting, encouraging, patience and kind
I’m forever thankful our lives intertwined

the poem "My friends” is copyrighted by Chris Carey 2008