We Need Each Other

I think I mentioned that I was moving several weeks ago. So, I’ve done it. I finally have a residence in my new city and we’re in the home stretch. Waiting on my household goods to be delivered so I can settle in and just be. It feels like a long time coming and while I’ve been planning and pulling things together, I didn’t realize how much I needed another person with me to give me the encouragement to get some additional things done. 

A good friend of mine came to visit this weekend and she encouraged me to complete some projects that would have to be done, but I would have been doing them by myself later. That would have been so much more difficult. And I realized one more way the bible relates to the things going on in our lives. 

God said it’s not good that man should be alone and made him a partner (Gen 2:18-24). Now, I’m not trying to marry or say it’s the same, but the principle is true. It is not good for man or woman to be alone. We are made to be part of a community, part of the body of Christ. We need each other (Gal 6:2). My friends have skills that I don’t and they complement the skills God gave me. We were never meant to walk this journey alone or to live out this life by ourselves. 

Yes, people are messy and they will bring you pain, but each of us does the same thing.  We are messy and bring others pain.  As we mature in Christ, we see past the pain to our progress and the help the other person may need. That’s what relationship is all about. Loving others as we love ourselves (Matt 22:34-40). Can you imagine how painful it must be to the Father when we reject Him? Or how painful it is to Jesus when we thumb our nose as His gift of eternal life after all He sacrificed to give it to us? Yet, God loves us and He is faithful to forgive us when we confess our sins to Him even though we cheat on Him doing things we know are inappropriate and wrong. 

So, if God can forgive our rejection, can we not put hurt feelings aside and forgive others? Can’t we look past ourselves and see others? (Phil 2:3-4) Are we in self-denial that we can’t see we’re not perfect either? We need each other. We need others to hold us accountable. We need others to celebrate with us. We need others to share in our sorrow. We need others to encourage us when we’re down (1 Thes 5:11). We just need each other. Don’t miss out on the full life you can have by trying to hide from frustrations and pain or to prevent others from knowing the real us. Those things make you grow. Live life to its fullest and surround yourself with people who enhance your life. It’s worth it.