My soul clings to you;
   your right hand upholds me.  –Ps 63.8

I’ve been through easy break-ups, and I’ve been through difficult break-ups.

This one’s nearly driven me to tears.

I just unsubscribed from an e-newsletter.  And it simply wouldn’t let me go.

I’ve been seeing this e-newsletter in my email every few days for about a year.  I’m not even sure when we first got connected.  Truth be told, I’m amazed it’s gone on this long.  I was never really that interested.

So today, I decided it was time to make a change.  I took a deep breath and clicked the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of the page. And…it redirected me to a login page.   I needed to login with my user name and password in order to access my subscription options. User name?  Password?

No clue.  So I clicked on the “reset my password” button and it e-mailed me a link.   I clicked that link and entered a new password. That brought me to a “Why are you leaving me?” page, where I was supposed to click buttons corresponding to my reasons for unsubscribing. I clicked “Other” and added my own reason at the bottom:   YOU’RE TOO CLINGY!

Okay, truth be told, that story never happened.  It never happened because every time I get to that Login page, and I think about the work involved in actually unsubscribing, I heave a deep sigh and decide to just put up with the stupid clingy email.

Have you had your own experience with clingy e-newsletters?  I bet you have!  Can you say annoying?  But that’s nothing compared to clingy people.  Some people attach themselves to you and refuse to let go.   Like some added responsibility you never asked for and don’t know how to get away from.  These are the people that always seem to be in your way, blocking your view, taking up your time.

Do you have clingy people in your life?  Taking up space and time, crowding your inbox.   I have some Good News for you:  They’re not your responsibility. They’re God’s.   God loves clingy people–just like that psalmist, above.

But now here’s the challenging news.   The reason they may be clinging to you is because they may see a glimmer of God shining through you.   They may be looking for a way to get closer to God–and that is your job.  The clingy people in your life may need you to show them the way, to lead them closer to God.   That may require some of your time and energy and patience.

And now here’s the double challenging news.   You’re supposed to be clingy, too.   Vulnerable, searching, reaching out to make the connection.   Sometimes that’s directly with God, but often it’s through the love and support and direction of people in your life.

God created us to be clingy.  To hold tightly to God and each other.  Not to look past each other, but to hold each other in great esteem.  Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to “break up” with a clingy person.   Before we end that relationship, we’d better make sure we’ve taken a good look in that person’s eyes, and valued them for the children of God that they are.

Have a great week,

And don’t forget to subscribe.  🙂

Mitch