Better Together

This Labor Day weekend my husband, Pat, and I got together with a group of friends who live in Florida for our annual cruise to Bahamas where we can enjoy a time of refreshment and relaxation. Their friendship is a cherished blessing and when we get together we use this time not only to have fun but also to pray together, encourage one another, and inspire each other to be all that God has for us. We stand in the gap for our family and loved ones and talk about dreams and hopes we desire for our future. It all started a few years back when God challenged me to reach out to this woman in church who everyone said was my “twin.” My first response was I have lots of friends already, why do I need to pursue a relationship with someone who had roots in another state and was living temporarily in the Alexandria area while her husband was working in DC. God knows best after all. He knew that when I reached out to get to know my “twin,” that my husband and I would connect with a community of other couples who were not just strong believers but were also individuals we enjoyed spending time together. Their friendship would bring us both encouragement and support. My “twin” and her husband have since moved back home to Florida. Each of our trips to visit our friends serves to meet several needs in our life. We have discovered that though we are all different, God has wired us to benefit from one other’s differences. King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT) God purposefully created each of us with special insights and giftedness. He made each of us uniquely individual, but with a need for community. Each of us is better because of others. We are not meant to be alone. We need each other. When we work together, our gifts and abilities complement one another, and God is glorified. No one is better than another. Despite our many differences, we are to “encourage and comfort one another and build up one another” (see 1Thessalonians 5:11 AMP). Since we are better together, why not choose to embrace the opportunity to be there for others by doing the following: - Help others get ahead (see Philippians 2:3 MSG) - Encourage others (see Hebrews 3:13 AMP) - Love others unconditionally (see 1 Peter 4:8 NIV) - Believes the best in others (1 Corinthians 13:7 AMP) Will you remain a loner, or will you enjoy the community of other believers? Will you work with others to make a difference in the lives of those around you? It is up to you. We are better together. Blessings, Cindy