Alone Was Never the Answer
Genesis 2:18 — Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for Him.”
Call me crazy, but one summer I traveled to Europe alone.
Yep. I knew no foreign languages, had very little money, and already knew I would be high maintenance with my weird eating and sleep schedule. Not to mention, I had never traveled to a time zone that was seven or eight hours different from mine.
I got jet lag just flying to Atlanta and back. So I thought, “Well, I’m not subjecting somebody else to that. My crazy would probably make their crazy, crazier.”
Bless it.
But going alone, knowing nothing besides the King’s English, left me in quite a lurch. This was before smartphones could magically translate everything for you. So buying train tickets was hard, ordering food was hard, and even figuring out where I was supposed to be was hard.
I ended up broke, exhausted, and lonely, and my twenty-one day trip turned into a seven day trip.
Looking back, I think part of what made it so hard was simply this: I chose to do it alone. I made it about my schedule, my comfort, and my preferences, and I didn’t want anyone slowing me down. But I’ve learned something since then—life loses a lot of its sweetness when there’s nobody beside you to share it with.
From the beginning, God knew that. He looked at Adam in a world that was otherwise good and said, “It is not good for man to be alone.”
Human beings were never meant to carry life in isolation. We were created with room in us for community.
You don’t have to be married to live that out, but you do need people. Maybe that’s family, maybe it’s a church, maybe it’s new friendships, a small group, or even a place to start again.
Because who cares if you see the Eiffel Tower in person if you can’t turn to somebody and say, “Would you look at that?”
Experiences were meant to be shared. And no, scrolling through them later doesn’t quite count.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- Where in your life are you currently trying to “do it alone” instead of inviting others in?
- Who has God already placed around you that you might need to reconnect with or lean on more intentionally?
- What is one simple step you could take this week to build or strengthen community—join something, reach out, or say yes to connection?
- When was the last time you shared a meaningful moment with someone instead of just experiencing it alone or online?
- How might your daily life look different if you truly believed that community isn’t optional—but part of God’s design for you?
