I awoke this morning with the words from a song by Hezekiah Walker going through my mind. The song is called "I need you to Survive" and speaks of our need for each other. The words are not just beautiful, they are true. None of us was created to be an island. God put a need deep in the heart of the most austere of us to have human companionship.
There are some, like me, who treasure their quiet times. Others feel the need to have people around all the time and enjoy being the center of attention. All of us have our unique personalities. But their is one thing that is certain: none of us can make it through life completely alone. The very first thing that God said after making Adam was, "It is not good for him to be alone." I don't think God was thinking only of romance, though he did create that need in us as well. The bigger picture is that he created us to be socialites. We enjoy living, working, and playing together because God intended it to be that way.
Corrie ten Boom was a heroine of WWII. She spent many months in solitary confinement for hiding Jews in her home to protect them from the Germans. In her book The Hiding Place she describes the joy she felt the first time she was allowed to emerge from her cell and go to the shower room. She frantically looked around to see if perhaps her sister Betsie, who was in another cell, had been allowed out as well. She first felt disappointment at not seeing her. Then Corrie realized her error. Later she would write these words: "These are all my sisters. How rich is anyone who can simply see human faces."
As I contemplate these words I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life. God has given me family and friends. I have a church full of people who love me; and I work with people who have gone out of their way to show me that they care. It is so easy for us to take one another for granted. We build walls that separate us over the silliest things. Yet the walls that seem to protect usually just make us lonely by keeping others at bay.
I am making a fresh commitment in my own life to reach out to others. I want people to know that I care and that they are important to me. I may not even have to say it. A smile, a kind word, or a helping hand will probably be enough. Would you join me in letting someone else know how much you need them? We need each other. I need you to survive .....
I Need You To Survive
I need you, you need me;
we're all a part of God's body.
Stand with me, agree with me;
we're all a part of God's body.
It is His will that every need be supplied;
you are important to me,
I need you to survive.
You are important to me,
I need you to survive.
I pray for you, you pray for me;
I love you, I need you to survive.
I won't harm you with words from my mouth;
I love you, I need you to survive.
