The Value of Each Other
As much as the world around us tries to lure us into self-dependency, God created us for each other. For community. For a life that’s not alone.
The author of Proverbs said it like this:
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
Proverbs 17:17 NIV
We’ll all face hard times—sometimes when we least expect it. But a friend’s genuine care can mean the world, a sibling’s unconditional love can’t be replaced, and a neighbor’s practical help is priceless.
We need each other more than we realize: emotionally, practically, and spiritually.
If you’ve found yourself in a busy season where you’ve unintentionally neglected your true friends or been too busy for your real family, now is the time to reprioritize.
If there’s unresolved conflict with a friend or family member, and it’s slowly deteriorating the relationship, now is the time to set aside your pride and choose to make things right.
If you’re silently struggling on your own, now is the moment to let someone in. Give them a call, send them a text, or show up on their doorstep. If you can’t be honest and vulnerable, it will be difficult to get help.
Not only do you need people, but those same people need you.
You have strengths, gifts, talents, and a personality that’s unique to you and beneficial to them—and vice versa. Why bury them in the ground, in the name of autonomy, when they can benefit others?
Sometimes we need to ask for help and sometimes we need to be the help.
Do you need help, or can you offer it? Could you use a hand, or do you have some extra time, money, advice, or expertise to give?
If you’re tempted to self-isolate, don’t forget: we were meant to live life together.
What’s the Point?
There once lived a king whose experience exploring and grappling with life’s perplexities was recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes.
What’s interesting is that this king—likely King Solomon—reigned in Israel during some of the best years in its history. From the world’s standards, he had more power, prestige, and wealth than any other person before him. Yet, still, he summarized his luxuries with one depressing word: Meaningless!
“Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) “Everything is wearisome beyond description.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8) “Nothing under the sun is truly new.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) “I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14)
Though written thousands of years ago, this bleak analysis still resonates with our own restless yearning for more. We want more than meaningless stuff. We want more than surface-level connections and ambitions. We want more than a seemingly...