We’ve all seen the images. The cowboy riding off into the sunset. The picture of the guy on his mountain bike on the edge of a mesa in Monument Valley, Arizona. That’s cool every once in a while. But God doesn’t want us to be lone rangers. To pray, yes. To be alone with God, yes. The thing is, we are more vulnerable when we are alone –like the stray antelope that makes himself an easy target for a lion —especially if he is injured. People often end up alone when they are hurt too. I was that guy. I was carrying a lot of hurt as a young man. It was easier to be alone—which meant less risk of getting hurt again. So I preferred being alone when I was young. And still enjoyed it as a new Christian going to church retreats in the mountains as an adult. I would walk in the woods around the meeting hall and show up late. Then God drew me into fellowship and showed me something so much better. I found that it was what I really needed all along! I developed warm, safe relationships that have truly brought abundant life. And my hurt has been healed in the process.
John 10:10