“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb

The past few weeks of being ‘socially distanced’ has had a variety of effects on people. Honestly, it has been a challenge for me. I like being active and we are moving at a much slower pace than I am comfortable with. Also and maybe more so, I am a hand-shaker and a hugger. Bumping elbows or doing the two-gun finger pistol point is just not getting it done for me. Who would have thought that the old taunt, “I wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole” would become the mantra for how we should all interact publicly? This self-imposed sequester goes against how we are wired. Still, I know that some people might say, “I don’t need them and if they need me that’s too bad.”

This morning as I was walking Mo (He is our dog. Actually, it is hard to tell if we walk him or he walks us), I was thinking about what God said about the first man Adam when He said, “It’s not good for the man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) Most people read that and think that God was saying that Adam needed a wife. I know Adam appreciated Eve, but what God said was, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” We just don’t function as well on our own. The scripture also says that man was made in the image or likeness of God. Interestingly, God does not exist alone; He exists in community. The Father, Son, & Holy Spirit are all joined together as One. Our natural condition calls for us to be integrated with others in symbiotic mutualism so that we encourage, strengthen, and help one another. There are times when we need to or are required to isolate, but if that isolation is prolonged it leads to paranoia, mental decline, deceptions of reality, and multitude of other physical and psychological disorders. The fact is, one of the cruelest forms of torture is isolation and sensory deprivation. People literally go insane. It is not good for us to be alone; we need to be joined with others who will strengthen us, challenge us, and add to our enjoyment of life.

I am looking forward to the day, hopefully soon, when we can all be together. Because when that happens, there is going to be a BIG OLE PARTY!!! I suggest that you get ready to be hugged.

Pastor John