“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

HEBREWS 12:14 (NIV)

Traffic was unusually heavy this morning. I sat in a line of brake lights, inching forward, watching the clock on my dashboard tick away minutes I didn’t have. I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through Facebook to pass the time.

That’s when I saw it. Another friend request notification. But when I tried to accept it, I got a message: “You’ve reached the maximum number of friends.”

Five thousand. I’d hit the limit. I sat there staring at the screen, and something stirred in me. There were people waiting to connect with me, but I had no room. My list was full. Full of profiles that weren’t even active anymore. Full of people with multiple accounts taking up space. Full of connections that no longer served a purpose.

Traffic started moving again, and I put the phone down. But the thought stayed with me. I passed Pewaukee, with the lake shimmering in the morning light. I thought about how still the water looked on the surface, but underneath, there was always movement. Things growing. Things dying. Things being filtered out so the ecosystem could stay healthy.

That’s what I needed to do. Filter. Delete. Make room. When I got home that night, I did it. I went through my friends list, name by name, and started deleting. Inactive profiles. Duplicate accounts. People I didn’t even remember adding. It took hours. It was tedious. But with every deletion, I felt lighter.

Here’s a shocking truth: there are people occupying space in your life who no longer serve a purpose. Not because they’re bad people or don’t care. But because their season with you has ended.

I thought about the people who were waiting to connect with me. The ones who might have a blessing attached to my destiny. The ones who might have the resources to catapult my career. The ones who might have the encouragement to shift my mindset. But they couldn’t get in because I was holding onto people who were no longer present.

God connects us to people for a lifetime, but He also connects us to people for a season. And it’s important to know the difference.

I passed Mile Marker 272.8 the next morning, and my phone felt different. Lighter. Like I’d made space for something new. And I realized that sometimes, the breakthrough you’re waiting for is blocked by the dead weight you’re refusing to release.

Maybe it’s not a Facebook list for you. Maybe it’s a relationship that’s run its course. A friendship that’s become one-sided. A commitment that no longer aligns with where you’re going. Whatever it is, if it’s taking up space and not adding value, it’s time to let it go. Because the people who are supposed to connect with you can’t get in if there’s no room.

Making space for new connections requires releasing old ones.

Keep moving forward,

Dr. Key