A Grim Reminder of Why We Need Each Other

Social distancing. Up until a couple of months ago, who knew that was even a thing? (Then again, who knew Coronavirus was even a thing?) But here we are, practicing the new virtue of social distancing, at least for the not-too-distant future.

Introverted individuals might not have known the term, but they’ve been cool with social distancing all their lives. So they’re adjusting to the new social norms pretty easily. No crowds? No problem! More people-oriented folks, however, have been discovering anew what “stir crazy” means. Their socializing tanks have become depleted, yet they’re instructed not to be around others who could refill them. Crisis upon crisis!

One of these days the pandemic will have come to an end and, hopefully, we can get back to normal mingling and interacting. But in the meantime, we have a grim, daily reminder of an important principle: We need each other. And it becomes even more evident when precautionary practices like social distancing and self-quarantining are instituted.

The reason for this is simple – it’s how God designed us. Since the dawn of creation, humankind’s need for fellowship has been evident. After deciding, “Let us (the Trinity) make man in our image…” (Genesis 1:26), the Lord ordained for the first man, Adam, to have companions. After creating “all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air,” He decided having animals around was insufficient. Adam needed a human companion and created the first woman, Eve (Genesis 2:19-23). We might say that was both good news and bad news!

But our need for others goes even further. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 we read that just as the human body’s health and proper functioning is dependent upon its various parts working in concert, we as followers of Jesus Christ also need each other:

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ…. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, whether would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be….”

Even as we tolerate social distancing for a while, consciously and subconsciously we realize we are dependent upon each other – even the socially reluctant.

Another passage in the Scriptures underscores the importance of being with others. To grow in our faith, we need to support one another. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25). The next verse adds another sobering reminder: “and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” This refers to the promised return of Jesus. 

For the moment – at least as I write this – we’re being admonished to semi-isolate, to avoid gathering in groups where germs from the virus could potentially be passed from one person to another. Before long, we hope, that necessity will have ended and we can again mingle to our hearts’ content. 

But let the lesson be learned about how we really do need one another, not just for how they can benefit us, but also for how we can be of benefit to them. Maybe this reality will make such an impression on us that we can actually get our noses out of our smartphones! We can only hope.

It Takes a Village...to Raise a Believer

It takes a "village" for us to become all we can be spiritually.

It’s been said it takes a village to raise a child. I have mixed feelings about that declaration, but over my years of following Jesus Christ, it’s become clear that it does take a “village” to raise a believer to spiritual maturity and fruitfulness.

So many people over the years have had a positive impact in my life spiritually, I’ve lost count. If I were to paraphrase the famous poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, I’d write, “How do they inspire (or challenge, or encourage) me? Let me count the ways.” 

Some have helped me in reading and studying the Bible. Others have taught me how to apply what I’ve read, embracing the reality that it’s as much for the now-and-now as it is for the sweet by and by. At a time when I was struggling to “do” Christianity, God sent individuals into my life that showed who the Bible teaches we truly are in Christ, and that it’s about the Lord working in and through us. The pressure isn’t on me to “do,” because it’s already done, they taught me.

Pastors, speakers and writers have given me many deep and invaluable insights into principles from the Scriptures. But more than anything, it’s been “lay people” serving as models of what true followers of Jesus look like that have made the most profound impressions on my life.

This isn’t unique for me. Many times in both the Old and New testaments we find proof that a living, growing faith in the Lord can’t be achieved in isolation. Virtually all of the great people in the Scriptures had others come alongside to support them and, when necessary, prod them along. 

The Bible affirms we desperately need others to become all God intends for us to be. For instance, Proverbs 27:17 states, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Sometimes this amounts to constructive conflict, similar to the friction of one knife blade being used to sharpen another. 

We tend to select friends who affirm us, who think similarly to the way we do. But good friends – true friends – also are those who care enough, and have the courage, to tell us what we need to hear, not just what we want to hear. “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel,” we’re told in Proverbs 27:9. That’s the value of accountability groups, as well as peer advisory groups that many business and professional people find helpful. We need that for our journey of faith as well.

In the Bible, the human body serves as a metaphor for the Church, the body of Christ. It points to the roles and functions of different body parts, and how they work together. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body…. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…. But in fact God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be…. Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

As followers of Christ grow in maturity and fruitfulness, we learn of our importance – and how much we need others – for effectively fulfilling God’s purposes. As Ephesians 4:12-13 states, “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” 

Just as Jesus’ first disciples learned invaluable lessons by being “with Him” (Mark 3:14), the so-called “Christian life” isn’t a solo act. We need each other to grow, receive support, and complement one another’s gifts and talents in our quest to be used by God to advance His kingdom.

Don’t Let a Defective Digit Defeat You

Because the lower left bar in the hour digit on this clock didn't
illuminate properly, it wasn't dependable for telling the correct time.

My mind had to be playing tricks on me! When I glanced at the digital alarm clock at the hotel, it read “5:58.” A few minutes later I looked at it again and it read “5:03.” I knew we were changing to Daylight Standard Time later that day, but was the clock programmed to reset itself?

Later in the evening when I checked the time it read “7:46.” But when I looked at it less than a half hour later, it read “9:10.” What in the world? I compared the time with my watch, as I had earlier in the day, and it was off by an hour. Was I hallucinating? Maybe the toll of travel in the Northeast was more than I had expected?

Then I realized the problem: The lower left bar in the digital numeral for the hour wasn’t properly illuminated. Unless you looked very closely, the 6 would appear to be a 5, and the 8 seemed to be a 9. Not a big deal, unless you needed to get up at 6 a.m., looked at the clock and thought it said 5 a.m., so you went back to sleep for an hour.

Isn’t it funny how the failure of one part can undermine the effectiveness of the whole? We’ve probably all had the experience of enjoying a nice, smooth drive down the highway when a flat tire suddenly spoiled the ride. Everything was great with the car – except for one tire. Or you’re finally about to finish that beautiful 500-piece puzzle and then discover one piece is missing. For some reason, having assembled a 499-piece puzzle isn’t nearly as satisfying.

We see this principle in the sports world all the time: An offensive lineman misses a key block, causing the running back to be tackled behind the line of scrimmage. In basketball, the point guard makes the perfect pass as his teammate glides toward the basket for the game-winning shot, but he drops the ball as time expires. How successful would a rowing team be if one of its competitors lost an oar?

Perhaps nowhere is the significance of every single part greater than in the body of Christ. The choir seems well-rehearsed for the Christmas cantata, but if Phoebe insists on singing off-key, the result will be the choral equivalent of finding a fly in your soup. Pastor Glutz might have prepared the most stirring sermon of his life, but it’ll be for naught if Herbie in the tech department doesn’t properly control the sound system.

Even more important is what transpires in the name of Jesus outside of what we typically call “the church.” As the apostle Paul wrote, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ…” (1 Corinthians 12:12). If you read a powerful book by your favorite Christian author, think about all the people who were involved in bringing the book to reality – the editors, graphic designers, proof readers, press operators, distributors, etc.

I’ve known people who were gifted evangelists, possessing unique abilities for communicating the gospel message to receptive, listening ears. But before they could speak at outreach meetings, it took other individuals to handle many details, ranging from selecting a venue and planning the event to inviting guests and preparing for follow-up on those who responded.

Stories from foreign missionaries stir us, hearing about God at work in various parts of the world, reaching men, women and children in different cultures. But without the help and support of many people in the United States, the missionaries couldn’t do the work they’ve been called to do.

We admire those with spiritual gifts that put them in the public eye, whether it’s a speaker, singer, author or denominational leader. But we’re all part of the “puzzle,” and without each one of us, the task would be incomplete.

As Paul wrote, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor…. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body…” (1 Corinthians 12:21-25).

So even if you feel you’re laboring in obscurity for God, that no one notices or cares about what you’re doing, remember that He notices and cares – and that’s all that matters. Don’t be like the missing bar in the digital numeral. Each one of us has an important role to play; without us, the mission could fail.