Not Meant to Live Alone

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7)

Life is never simple. We need each other; we need community. Oxford Dictionary defines community as the feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. There are challenges to just living every day, but no matter where anyone turns, someone in your community is facing a challenge, and most of them have been life-threatening and life-changing. In reflection, great thought has been given to the concepts that (1) God is ever-present; (2) people are not meant to do life alone; (3) community is the greatest key to survival; and (4)  there is much power in prayer. Why do we need one another?

Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,

    one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

    and has no one to help them up.

                -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

The older we get, the more we try to hold on to self-sufficiency and independence. Sometimes we have to swallow our pride and recognize our growing limitations. It’s not always easy, but our weaknesses and limitations may be the strengths of someone else. We need each other. We need community.

Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, our lives don’t always go according to plans. We are sometimes under attack. There is no apparent reason for it, and it may not be that we have done anything that warrants this assault. The comfort in our times of grief, worry, depression, and weariness comes from the community of people that we choose to surround us. The community is not perfect, but it is comprised of like-minded, compassionate, prayerful friends who accept and love us with flaws and all. Never take community for granted and be blessed by having this support system. For those that don’t have a community, become the example of the change agent that invites and draws people into your community. With an ever-present God, no one is meant to go through life alone! 

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