We Need Each Other

I have always been an introvert. For as long as I can remember, I enjoyed being alone; I enjoy spending time in my own company. I never minded being around other people, but I found that I could recharge and refuel whenever I was alone. Since I always enjoyed being alone, I developed the mindset that I didn’t truly need anybody else to be happy. Of course, I knew that I needed God and my family, but I never felt like I needed other people around me. I was content with just God and my family members. Although I had friends, it was always difficult for me to really open up to them about things in my life. As I grew in my relationship with God however, He has taught me about the importance of community--finding people that can do life with me. People that I can trust, rely on, confide in, and be myself around. Honestly, for the past three years, I feel like I have not only grown to appreciate community in my own life, but I’ve now realized that I can’t fully thrive without it.

Recently, Matthew 18:20 (NIV) has been on my heart. It reads, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." When God highlighted this verse to me, I thought about how important it is for us to gather together as believers. However, the more that I meditated on this verse, God helped me to think about it in relation to friendship and community. He kept reminding me of it over and over until I realized that He was trying to get me to understand the importance of “two”--the importance of not being alone in life. There is power in numbers. The verse says that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in the midst! Community is essential. Forging genuine and lasting friendships is essential. Asking God to send genuine people in our lives to walk this journey with us is so important. I know this because there were many moments when I found myself in isolation. These were some of the darkest moments in my life. In these moments, I felt like I could overcome alone, but God showed me that I needed people to help me through it. Truthfully, I had to let go of my pride, and be willing to be transparent and let others that I trusted in.

I listened to a sermon a while back, and the speaker said something profound. He stated that the enemy wants us to remain in isolation because he knows that this is where he can do the most damage. When we are alone and isolated, we are prone to temptation and prone to believing the lies of the enemy. Yet, when we have people that we can confide in and rely on, it is easy for us to share our hearts and let them know the things we struggle with. We need each other. I never felt like I needed other people, but now, I realize that I do more than ever. Genesis 2:18 says that it is not good for man to be alone. We were meant for relationships. We were meant to forge friendships that can stand the test of time. We were meant to be there for one another.

If you find yourself feeling isolated, ask God to send people your way. People who can walk with you through life and encourage you. He will do it. If you want, you can even reach out to me. You are not alone, and you were never meant to live this life alone. We need each other. We need sisters and brothers that can pray with us, listen to us vent, pray for us, and just be there for us in this life.

We cannot do life alone, no matter how much we say that we can. We need each other.