Vital signs- Saturday, August 1st, 2020

In the Journey of Life, We Need Each Other!

The Bible says in Colossians 2:6-7, “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (ESV). The Bible often compares life to a walk, because you don’t just sit still in life. We are on a journey! Throughout the New Testament we’re told to walk in wisdom, in love, in light, in obedience, and in the Spirit.

But one of the key ways that God tells us to walk is this: You were never meant to walk through life alone. This has nothing to do with whether you’re single or married. Marriage does not solve the issue; community does. And you find community in your spiritual family — the Body of Christ.

Some of you say, “What’s wrong with walking alone? I like waking alone. In fact, I prefer it. I can go at my own pace. I don’t have to wait for anybody.”

You may like walking alone, but you need others to walk with you through life. Let me give you three reasons.

1. It’s safer. Have you ever had to walk through a dark alley at night or down a long road in the countryside by yourself? It can be a little scary. It’s safer to walk through life with others.

2. It’s supportive. There’s an old Zambian proverb that says, “When you run alone, you run fast. But when you run together, you run far.” Life is not a 50-yard dash; it’s a marathon! The only way you’re going to finish the race well and not burn out is by having other people involved in your life through meaningful relationships.

3. It’s smarter. You learn more by walking with others than you do by yourself. Proverbs 28:26 says, “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool.” In other words, if you’re the only one who thinks something and nobody agrees with you, you may be walking in the wrong direction. When you walk by yourself through life, you don’t have anybody to go, “We’re off the path. We’ve got to get back on the path and go in the right direction.”

Ephesians 4:16 says, “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (NLT, second edition).

You’ve got to have other people in your life to help you grow into the person God made you to be. Life is about relationships. God is love, and he wants you to learn to love him and to love others. Those are the two greatest lessons in life.