Joey sat on his small balcony in Kentucky, staring at the horizon as the late afternoon sun melted into streaks of orange and gold. He held his phone, scrolling through messages from friends scattered across states.
His heart was heavy.
Jeffery and Paul, living in Indiana, were excitedly planning a new business venture together. Noelle and Dallas had returned from a trip filled with stories. Anthony in Canada had shared excitement about reconnecting. Brad and Justin remained dependable, yet Joey felt a distance he could not explain.
“How did I get here?” Joey whispered.
He had always been the one holding tightly to everyone. Joey became the glue. Recently, emotional exhaustion quietly settled into his heart from trying to keep people close while life naturally carried everyone into different directions.
His phone buzzed.
Michelle.
Joey remembered John 14:1.
Those words suddenly felt different.
Not circumstances.
Not people.
My heart.