Collective: Finding Life TogetherSample

Is everyone as lonely as I am?

Information is available to us 24/7 these days. You can google anything, anytime. You can find handy YouTube videos about how to fix a flat tire, how to budget, or even how to make ramen. And while that knowledge is beneficial, it can be easy to consume too much information in isolation—which isn’t what we were designed for.

God created us to live in community. That’s a word we use in church a lot that basically means we need good friends. Why? Because consuming information in isolation rarely leads to transformation. We need wisdom, and wisdom grows best in community.

Let’s take it back to the beginning. The first thing God said was “not good” was for man to be alone. We were created to need people. Jesus modeled this for us in His life and ministry on earth. 

Jesus chose 12 imperfect people to live life with. They ate together, prayed together, and served together. Why did He do this? Jesus didn’t need people. He’s, well, Jesus. Maybe it was to show us how to love imperfect people for His perfect purpose. 

Jesus showed us what it looked like to have great friends. And He knew it would cost Him. He knew Judas would betray Him. And honestly, Peter was a little extra sometimes. He knew Peter would deny Him and reject Him, but Jesus loved them all anyway. 

There’s a lesson we can learn from that kind of love. We can often get so caught up in having the perfect friend that we miss out on the potential ones in front of us. When we find our people, we’ve got to love them—flaws and all—the same way Jesus loves us.

The other important benefit of community is that Jesus not only modeled it for us but also promised to be in the middle of it. Jesus said that where two or more people gather in His name, He’s with us. That’s a pretty compelling reason to spend time with other people. 

So if you’re trying to figure out your life plan without people around you, it’s probably not going to pan out the way you expect. We need people to live out our purpose. We need people to discover who we are. We need people to encourage us, strengthen us, pray with us, challenge us, and help us up when we fall and fail.

It will get messy. And it won’t always make sense. But when you choose to be like Jesus and love like Jesus—you’ll realize you’re heading in a better direction like we talked about in day one.

Consider: What potential friends are you missing out on because you want the perfect ones? 

Pray: Jesus, thank You for showing us what it looks like to have community and for promising to be with us when we gather together. Help me rely more on You and on the others You’ve put in my life. Help me to love like You. In Your name. Amen.