When I was younger, I was very introverted; up until recently, I still was. I had a hard time making eye contact and I didn’t feel comfortable around other people. Maybe you can relate, perhaps you can’t, but for most of my life, I believed being alone was best. “I don’t need anyone,” I said proudly, “I just need God and my family.”
That changed after a period of very stressful events in my life that made my solidarity feel more like a noose. God showed me that I had been living my life all wrong.
Genesis 2:18 says, “The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” While this verse is specifically talking about what led to God’s creation of Eve, let’s focus on the first part: it is not good for man to be alone.
During the stressful period I went through, I found myself craving human connection, and the people around me were shocked but pleasantly surprised to find me asking them for help, for prayer, and giving them a concrete way of loving and guiding me.
From the beginning, God didn’t create us to isolate ourselves from others. No, he created us to desire companionship–platonic and romantic–so that when hard times come, we have people to support us in our walk with God, to hold us accountable, someone to pray with, and return the favor by doing the same. It can be scary to reach out sometimes, but so worth it!
Father, you created me for community but sometimes it’s hard for me to depend on others and admit help. You put other people in our lives so we can experience your goodness and learn more about who you are. Help me today to open up, to be willing to trust and let people into my life, for your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Throughout this Day: What holds you back from reaching out to other people, especially other Christians? Ask the Lord to search your heart and show you the beauty of living in community.
Additional Resource: There are a lot of things that are easier to do by yourself: brushing your teeth, organizing your things just the way you like them, or perfecting your dance moves in the bedroom mirror. But there are some things you just can’t do alone.
Photo Credit: Cut in a Moment on Unsplash