It's interesting what comes out when you're put into uncomfortable and new situations. Moving across the country is a good thing, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tough at times. I miss people. There is something so important and right about being in fellowship with one another, and as the cliché goes, I'm seeing it more now that I don't have it. I'm fine with this and was aware it was coming, but I have to admit that I forgot what this was like and how important it is to simply be with people.No wonder we are told to keep meeting together.
No wonder unity is encouraged strongly in the Bible.
No wonder God made Eve.
This is just another example of God knowing our inner workings and what fuels and feeds a human; as simple as it sounds, we need love to survive. And so he offers it by placing us among others like us, and by offering us perfect love that humans cannot give. And even God is relational, a person though not a human, talking with Moses, grieved by Israel, fathering His people, jealous when his girl (read: us, the Church) is taken by other lovers. Genesis 1, speaking of God making humanity, says:
"So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them."
The parallelism in these lines, simple as they are, tells me that being with people makes us human, and that the image of God is reflected in our togetherness.
Is this why men living as hermits become almost animals? Is this why the lonely have such deep and bitter sadness? Is this why the abused stop growing emotionally? By ourselves, the lies we believe become true to us because, well, we believe them, and our thinking is never challenged because no one is outside the control room to see what the driver may be missing.
Who we are is largely shaped by who we are with. I am fortunate enough to be in a very different spot than I was 5 years ago after dealing with some crap, walking along, and growing. If I had been left alone that whole time, I'm almost positive I would be exactly the same, if not worse off. When I think of what literally changed my life, it's not ideas, tests, achievements, money, or hard work, though these can be helpful. It's people (I include God here, whose love has cast out fears and worked absolute wonders) who have had the most impact.
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