Don't go it alone...

Do you ever stop to think about the battle the "other guy" may be facing?  Or are you so consumed with what you are going through you cannot see beyond the "immediacy" of your own need?  When the world spins out of control, is your first response to hold on and ride it out?  Or is it to let go and see where the "spin" takes you?  Most of the time, we have little to no idea what the other guy is going through, nor do we know how dearly they are holding on for their very life in the midst of catastrophic "storm" spinning out of control in their lives.  It is probably because we don't have that many people in our "inner circle" we can be truly "real" with - leaving us kind of feeling alone in the battle, overcome by the stress, and just maybe lost to the storm!


So own up to your sins to one another and pray for one another. In the end, you may be healed. Your prayers are powerful when they are rooted in a righteous life. (James 5:16 VOICE)

Before I go any further, let me just remind each of us of this one thing - we are not created to walk alone.  Don't believe me?  Look at Adam in the Garden of Eden.  He was surrounded by all things beautiful and "hand kept" by God himself.  Yet, he didn't have something he longed for so very much - another human like him with which he could spend time, relating to at the level of his humanity.  He had God right there walking in the Garden beside him, but he was still lonely!  This only shows me we need each other - God didn't create us to be "solo" in our walk - he created us to "relate". The "relating" is first with him, then with those he places in our lives.  

Solo simply means to stand or do something without any partner.  I have done some building projects in the backyard by myself.  Nothing says "you need some help" more than trying to hold up one end of the wood with another piece of wood while you screw in the other end of the wood, all the while desperately trying to hold it steady and level! Inevitably that piece of wood I used as a "holder" to keep the wood in place while I attempted to screw it into place will become the thing I want to throw across the yard!  It isn't all that trustworthy - nor is it able to sense when my subtle movements will put the wood I am attaching out of alignment.

In life, I think we try to "get away with" those casual relationships, thinking they will suffice for the very things we need in order to maintain (or attain) alignment in our lives. We "make do" because we don't want to take the effort to call upon someone to help us in our time of need.  Maybe it is because we don't want to admit we have a need.  Adam was miserable before Eve - he had no "suitable partner" with which to live life.  We often don't realize our need for a "suitable partner" in life - especially when we are in the midst of the battle of our life!  I am not speaking about a spouse here, although they can fulfill that role quite well.  I am speaking about someone who will come alongside, walk right there with you, engage in the battle with you, and see that you come out okay.

Getting back to our passage, one of the most "telling" parts of living life alone is this lack of a "partnering force" to resist temptation in our lives.  I don't expect that person you partner with in life to be the thing which ultimately keeps you from being tempted - but they are a "go to" when you are! They can be the force who helps you to maintain perspective, and also the force who helps drive back the enemy's advances in your life!  I wonder how much victory we forsake simply because we don't want to admit to anyone that we are tempted to give into something which has been a battle for some time in our lives?  When we insist on "walking alone" by this attitude of never really being ourselves in front of anyone, never really getting truly close to each other by allowing the "genuine us" come through, we won't be able to "tap into" that help which can only come from holding onto the hand of that person as you walk through the battle side-by-side.

Being able to pick up the phone, send a text, or even shoot a glance to someone across the room - that someone who stands in the gap for you, helps give you right perspective, and simply knows how it is you think - that is how God intended life to be lived.  You don't find those people everyday, but when you do - hold onto them!  Be real with them!  Don't succumb to the temptation to pull away when things get tough!  Pray for each other!  Encourage one another!  Challenge the other one!  Be the iron which sharpens the other person's iron!  In the end, you will both come away stronger, more solidly grounded in your faith, and looking victoriously at the remnants of the battle behind you! Just sayin!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Steel in your convictions

Is that a wolf I hear?

Sentimental gush