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How many contacts do you have in your cell phone? If you’re anything like me…a bunch. Last month I went through my phone and deleted some numbers. I struggled to do this. I struggle to remember my own phone number most of the time much less anyone else’s.

On Saturday, Aug. 26, I sat down and deleted some names/numbers from my cell phone. It started off as a joke between my wife and I as she noticed her number of contacts and told me how many she had and how she was going to delete some of these contacts that she never talks with any longer. I figured why not see what my number was.

It was 874. I had 874 contacts. Some of these contacts have passed away. Some have moved way far away and we haven’t talked in years. Some were names or numbers of folks I needed a while back for visits, weddings, funerals and counselings. Some of these names and numbers were folks I use to run fire or EMS calls with across Southside and beyond.

After I slowly went through this list, I began to struggle in deleting some of the names or numbers. Some of them were easy to delete as I couldn’t for the life of me recall who they even were. After I slowly went through this list…I ended up with 605. I deleted 269 contacts from my cell phone (and since then I have already added 6 new ones). When done I felt a mix of emotions.

Should I not have deleted that number? Will I ever need that contact again? Why in the world did I still have that one saved? I miss this person so much. On and on and on the thoughts flew through my mind. A mix of wow, awe, ha, uh-oh, shoot, and ahhh flowed as I saw I had removed and freed up a lot of space. My wife’s phone? She has 103 contacts.

As I removed these contacts it dawned on me: certain contacts we hold on to. Sometimes we hold on too long. Sometimes we let go sooner than we should. Some of the contacts we have are needing to be removed. They drain, use and abuse us and our relationship. Maybe it’s time to go through your contact list and let go of certain contacts. It’s hard. We don’t like letting go. We feel we need them, might upset them, can’t let go. Sadly…to some…we’re simply a contact. Maybe it’s time you tighten your circle. Stick to ones who encourage and build you up.

“Guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23