Let’s Stick Together

A few days ago, as my kids and I were out driving, I took the opportunity to review some safety rules with them. It had been a while since we’d done this, and it’s always a good way for us to talk about what to do in different situations. I usually ask them questions like, “What would you do if a stranger tried to get you to go with them?â€, and then they answer and we talk about it.

This time, we were talking about the importance of sticking together in crowded places like the movie theater or the mall, when my daughter chimed in from the back seat…

“Yeah, because if we’re just one, we can really break, but if we’re together, it’s not that easy.â€

Exactly, I thought.

I smiled and looked in the rear view mirror. “Where’d you learn that?â€

She smiled back. “At church.â€

“That’s one of my favorite verses,†I said.

And it is…

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. Ecclesiastes 4:12

I love verse 9 also…

Two are better than one…for if they fall, one will lift up the other. Ecclesiastes 4:9

And it makes perfect sense. Just like we’re less likely to get lost in a crowd if we stick with our friends or family, we’re less likely to get “lost†in life if we stand by one another. If one of us gets off track, the other can help us find our way back. If one of us faces a hardship, the other can help us through it. If one of us can’t take another step alone, the other can hold our hand and pull us forward.

I think sometimes we forget how important friendship and fellowship is. Because maintaining relationships can be work. And sticking by someone can be hard.

But we were meant to reach out to others. We were meant to serve and cooperate. We were meant to stick by one another and lift each other up.

Just like God sticks by us.

So if there’s someone you’re having a hard time sticking by, be encouraged and know that you may be the very person that can make a difference in their life.

And if you are the one needing someone to come alongside you, reach out. Get involved in your community or church. Call a friend and go to lunch. Find someone to talk to.

Because God didn’t intend for us to go it alone.

He wants us to feel loved and encouraged. And hopefully we’ll be able to pass that love and encouragement on to others.