In today's modern era, many people honestly believe they are better off being alone. These same people consider themselves "loners" who are happy just living with their preferred animals. While there are some benefits to spending time alone sometimes, is this really what is God's best for us? Did the Lord intend for us to just "sit on a mountaintop" completely isolated from all forms of community? I do not believe that this is the case. I believe that the Lord created us for community and in this blog, I shall explain how I have arrived at this conclusion. I will carefully draw my conclusions directly from the Scriptures to make my point. Afterwards, I will discuss some of the mental health benefits of being a part of a community too. The purpose of this blog is to encourage people to be a part of some community, preferably a local body of believers, but any community would suffice. God did not intend for any of us to be "lone rangers" in this world. This is clear from the first couple of chapters in Genesis. Genesis 1 opens up with God creating the heavens and earth in six days and on the sixth day, The Lord created man. In Genesis 2, we read that God put the man in the Garden of Eden to work it and tend it. He also commissioned the man to name all of the animals in the Garden. After the man finished naming all of the animals, God said something remarkable. In verse 18, we read,
"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him'."
This verse is indeed about God creating a wife for Adam. However, I believe that this verse speaks to the reality of the fact that human beings were created for one another. As people who are created in the Imago Dei, we image the Triune God. This means that just like the Triune God is a community in Himself, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so are we made to be in community with other human beings. We do not glorify God when we separate ourselves from other people. As a matter of fact, I would argue that we actually glorify the Lord even more when we are in the midst of a community. This does not in any way mean we should never take time away to be alone with God. We see Jesus Himself doing this a lot in the four Synoptic Gospels. However, our alone time should never replace our communal time. The next verse that I'd like to draw your attention to is Hebrews 10:24-25, which says,
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together. as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near"
As you can see from this text, the writer of the Hebrews is telling us that we should not forsake the gathering. In the proper context, he is talking about the gathering of believers in the church. The reason he is saying this is because we need one another so that we can encourage each other unto "love and good works". The writer to the Hebrews perfectly understood that as Christians we need one another. When we act as if we can handle the Christian life alone, we are more susceptible to the devil's attacks because we are more vulnerable. I watch a lot of atheists on YouTube and one thing I found in common with a lot of their deconversion testimonies is that at one time they stopped going to church. This should show you the importance of being a part of the Christian community. Finally, the last passage I'd like to draw your attention to is 1 Corinthians 12:17-19, which says,
"If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But, as it is, God arranged the members of the body, each one of them as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body"
From this text, we can clearly see that God has chosen us to be part of His body. As different parts of His body, we each have a unique function, and no part is more important than another. As a matter of fact, just like our human bodies cannot function properly without one of its parts, so the body of Christ cannot function properly without one of our unique parts. Every person who makes up Christ's body is needed for it to properly function in this world. It is for this reason that we should never look down on one another because we understand that each member of the Body of Christ is needed no matter how insignificant they may seem. As a matter of fact, Paul tells us that it is the insignificant parts that should be esteemed with even more honor (verse 23).
So, what does all this have to do with mental health? The more that I think about this, I have found three ways that being a part of the community benefits our mental health. These three things are not the only benefits, but for the sake of this blog, they are the three things I am choosing to focus on for now. If you can think of any more, please feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.
Community Satisfies Our Sense of Belonging
Every single one of us has an innate sense of belonging. If you take a moment to reflect on this, you will see I am speaking the truth. Why do you think gangs are so popular? It is because in a gang people feel like they are accepted by a group of people. Back in the times when people were hunter-gatherers, the men hunted for their tribe, and the women cooked for their tribe. Everything they did was for their tribe. One could say that communal living is engraved into our DNA from the dawn of time. This is why studies have shown that people are much more content when they belong to a church, sports team, choir, or some other group function. We were made to belong with other people.
Community Develops Transparent Relationships
When you belong to a community, it is a lot easier to develop relationships with others. As we have seen in Genesis 2, man was not created to be alone. While I understand that being transparent with others is scary (who desires to be vulnerable in front of others?), it is very beneficial. Many people have told me over the years that they have found that when they open themselves up to others, they are surprised to see how many people can honestly relate to them. There is hardly any greater feeling in the world than finding out that other people can relate to you. This is why support groups, such as AA, NA, or Schizophrenic Anonymous, are so successful. These groups provide the comfort of relatability for people who are struggling.
Community Provides Never-Ending Support In Difficult Times
A couple of years back, I was in the hospital for three months due to a perforated colon that almost killed me. During this time, I almost lost my faith in God. However, it was during this time that the Lord used people from my church, and my sisters, to step up to the plate and show me the undying love and support of Jesus Christ. They literally were the arms and legs of Christ during one of the worst times of my life. It was because of their love and support that carried me through that difficult time. In the same way, when you belong to a community, the community will support you through your various trials and tribulations. As Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us,
"And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord is not quickly broken"
When we belong to a community, it is much easier to face life's many obstacles. When we are alone, it is much easier for us to be broken and defeated. I believe this is why God wants us in community with one another.
I hope that this blog helps you to understand why we need to be in community. As I have already said, we were not created to be the "Lone Ranger", nor is that even a possibility for a Christian. We definitely do need one another. Besides, we will be spending an eternity with our Christian brothers and sisters, so we may as well get used to them in this life. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and please share this with someone you think may need to read this. Thank you very much for reading and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him'."
This verse is indeed about God creating a wife for Adam. However, I believe that this verse speaks to the reality of the fact that human beings were created for one another. As people who are created in the Imago Dei, we image the Triune God. This means that just like the Triune God is a community in Himself, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so are we made to be in community with other human beings. We do not glorify God when we separate ourselves from other people. As a matter of fact, I would argue that we actually glorify the Lord even more when we are in the midst of a community. This does not in any way mean we should never take time away to be alone with God. We see Jesus Himself doing this a lot in the four Synoptic Gospels. However, our alone time should never replace our communal time. The next verse that I'd like to draw your attention to is Hebrews 10:24-25, which says,
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together. as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near"
As you can see from this text, the writer of the Hebrews is telling us that we should not forsake the gathering. In the proper context, he is talking about the gathering of believers in the church. The reason he is saying this is because we need one another so that we can encourage each other unto "love and good works". The writer to the Hebrews perfectly understood that as Christians we need one another. When we act as if we can handle the Christian life alone, we are more susceptible to the devil's attacks because we are more vulnerable. I watch a lot of atheists on YouTube and one thing I found in common with a lot of their deconversion testimonies is that at one time they stopped going to church. This should show you the importance of being a part of the Christian community. Finally, the last passage I'd like to draw your attention to is 1 Corinthians 12:17-19, which says,
"If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But, as it is, God arranged the members of the body, each one of them as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body"
From this text, we can clearly see that God has chosen us to be part of His body. As different parts of His body, we each have a unique function, and no part is more important than another. As a matter of fact, just like our human bodies cannot function properly without one of its parts, so the body of Christ cannot function properly without one of our unique parts. Every person who makes up Christ's body is needed for it to properly function in this world. It is for this reason that we should never look down on one another because we understand that each member of the Body of Christ is needed no matter how insignificant they may seem. As a matter of fact, Paul tells us that it is the insignificant parts that should be esteemed with even more honor (verse 23).
So, what does all this have to do with mental health? The more that I think about this, I have found three ways that being a part of the community benefits our mental health. These three things are not the only benefits, but for the sake of this blog, they are the three things I am choosing to focus on for now. If you can think of any more, please feel free to share your ideas in the comments below.
Community Satisfies Our Sense of Belonging
Every single one of us has an innate sense of belonging. If you take a moment to reflect on this, you will see I am speaking the truth. Why do you think gangs are so popular? It is because in a gang people feel like they are accepted by a group of people. Back in the times when people were hunter-gatherers, the men hunted for their tribe, and the women cooked for their tribe. Everything they did was for their tribe. One could say that communal living is engraved into our DNA from the dawn of time. This is why studies have shown that people are much more content when they belong to a church, sports team, choir, or some other group function. We were made to belong with other people.
Community Develops Transparent Relationships
When you belong to a community, it is a lot easier to develop relationships with others. As we have seen in Genesis 2, man was not created to be alone. While I understand that being transparent with others is scary (who desires to be vulnerable in front of others?), it is very beneficial. Many people have told me over the years that they have found that when they open themselves up to others, they are surprised to see how many people can honestly relate to them. There is hardly any greater feeling in the world than finding out that other people can relate to you. This is why support groups, such as AA, NA, or Schizophrenic Anonymous, are so successful. These groups provide the comfort of relatability for people who are struggling.
Community Provides Never-Ending Support In Difficult Times
A couple of years back, I was in the hospital for three months due to a perforated colon that almost killed me. During this time, I almost lost my faith in God. However, it was during this time that the Lord used people from my church, and my sisters, to step up to the plate and show me the undying love and support of Jesus Christ. They literally were the arms and legs of Christ during one of the worst times of my life. It was because of their love and support that carried me through that difficult time. In the same way, when you belong to a community, the community will support you through your various trials and tribulations. As Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us,
"And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord is not quickly broken"
When we belong to a community, it is much easier to face life's many obstacles. When we are alone, it is much easier for us to be broken and defeated. I believe this is why God wants us in community with one another.
I hope that this blog helps you to understand why we need to be in community. As I have already said, we were not created to be the "Lone Ranger", nor is that even a possibility for a Christian. We definitely do need one another. Besides, we will be spending an eternity with our Christian brothers and sisters, so we may as well get used to them in this life. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and please share this with someone you think may need to read this. Thank you very much for reading and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
Good Article!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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