Why be a loner??

For those of you that know me, know that I am a pretty independent person. I thrive off being able to do things by myself (no wonder I have an 18 month old who thinks the same thing). I look at certain friends of mine who are so determined to do things on their own that if you even mention that a man could do it, they go into a tail spin and do the job even harder and better than a man!!



Why do we do this? And I am not just talking about women here. For women, we tend to act all independent but really we crave friendships and most of us hate being alone for long periods of time. For men, they claim that friendships and things do not mean that much to them but deep inside all of us have the desire to be needed and loved not just by our family, but by others.



What has been on my mind for several weeks now is that I do not understand why we as humans have so many surface relationships with people and so little intentional, deep relationships? I think we are so worried that people are going to realize that we do not have it all together. Guess what....NOBODY has it all together!! I also think we have tricked ourselves into believing that what we are going through is something that nobody else has ever been through or that it is just so bad that we don't want to burden anybody else with it. Guess what...there is SOMEBODY out there who has gone through the same thing.



This Sunday, I listened to a very compelling Sermon on being a friend to someone who is going through a storm in their own lives. I encourage you to listen to the story and you can find it here: http://www.thequestonline.com/messages/suffer-well-when-a-friend-is-suffering/



It really made me think a great deal this week. You know...God did more that create a woman for Adam. He created a helper, an encourager, a companion, and someone to weather the storms of life with. God even saw that it was not good for Adam to go through life alone. So again...why do I think I can do everything on my own? I think it is crazy when I see friends suffering and they won't reach out for help. But I have learned that when you are in the midst of the storm, you don't know what to do. That is when you need those close friends, those brothers and sisters in Christ, to come to you, get in that small boat that is being tossed and thrown in the swirling ocean, and be there with you.

I found this great picture online today and it hit me hard. You OBEY the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand. Wow!! So that means that I am disobeying the law of Christ when I don't offer a helping hand, when I choose to only carry my burdens and refuse to pick up someone else's.

So I know that I have a lot to work on!! For me, it is not only being that friend to someone else but it is also allowing myself to have those friends in my life and letting them carry some of my burdens with me.

God didn't intend for us to be alone so don't be a loner!! Focus on the relationships in your life. Are you only carrying your burdens? Are you burdens weighing you down so much that you can't even see the burdens of those you say you love and care for? Do you have those people in your life that are willing to carry your burdens but you are refusing to let them see the vulnerable you? Are you working on creating intentional relationship with other Christians?? Do you have a community of suppor that will help you not only in the good times but also in those storms??

You do not have to go through everything alone!!