People need people. Each and every person under the sun and stars needs other people. We all desperately need each other, and it is beautiful.
This desire for community has been etched on our hearts from the start. In the beginning, the Creator stitched us together with a need to be with other people. When God created Adam, He saw it was unfit for him to be alone, and then created Eve. We were created for community. Wanting to love and wanting to be loved is written somewhere deep within us, under our skin.
Scrolling through Facebook I saw an interview with a young college student with autism. He explains that he wants to de-stigmatize his diagnosis and expresses his loneliness.
There is a man who frequently stands downtown on a corner I drive by almost daily. He holds signs with varying phrases: Anything Helps, Disabled Vet or Homeless and Hungry. All I am able to offer him is a smile and a prayer. My heart aches for him and I wish I could do more.
The sky faded from lilac to navy as I sat on the edge of the world. My friend told me about her suicidal thoughts. I frantically searched for the words to express the overwhelming love I have for her and our friendship. Few words escape because what exists between us is too great for words. In her I see the hope and the future written about in Jeremiah 29. She is as limitless as the stars that were above us but I could not seem to say it out loud.
In the comments section of the college student's interview on Facebook, I read dozen of encouraging sentiments. Fellow students from his university ask if he would like to hang out, others ask if they can become pen-pals.The response is overwhelmingly large and positive. The man on the side of the street continues to stand and expresses genuine joy when one passer-by out of out of a hundred takes the time to lift him up. My friend surrounds herself with people with a passion for the Lord and who are rooting for her to succeed. Each of these people continue to grow and smile because of their relationships and interactions with others. I do too.
A close friend of mine recently told me that airplanes are much safe in the sky than they are on the ground. As someone with a slight fear of heights, I quickly doubted her. "No, really" she assured me, "planes are designed to be in the air. They're safer when they're doing what they we made to do."
We seek relationship because we are wired for it. We are meant to be with people and to be for people. The desire for community is one that will reside within us as long as the sun will set and rise again. People will continue to need people. As we seek community, we will grow and shape the world around us. It's what we were made for.
