Patricia Hofer

The Lord doesn’t intend for us to be alone, apart.

As the Genesis writer wrote, God didn’t create us to “be alone” (Gen. 2:18). Relationships are the single most important theme in the Old Testament—interactions between God and prophets, between family members, and between differing ethnic believers. And in the New Testament, Jesus’ three-year mission began with his calling disciples, friends to walk with him, willing hearts that would learn from him—followers that would go out into the world and speak for him.

Clearly, God’s intention is for us to communicate and share with each other. When the living spirit in our hearts encounters the living spirit in the hearts of others, we gain a fuller understanding of ourselves—and of Him! We become less self-centered, kinder. This might seem obvious to most of you. But it wasn’t all that clear to me at earlier stages in my Christian experience. During those times, I rather enjoyed being an “ivory tower” Christian, not all that much into knowing others or helping them.
But then, after my conversion encounter, the Lord changed that. He started nudging me, pushing me out to help those in need. To become active in a church. To share my Christian walk in my writing. As I became more open to others, talking with them and discovering ways to help and comfort them, the Lord began dropping new friends across my path—not only the ones who needed me but the ones I needed! What a lovely “higher goal.”
I wonder what I would be without Christ alive in me, without his way of seeing, without his loving, unique individuality. With his star not in my soul, what would make my being whole? I’d not know and I’d not care as I lived alone, apart, that there was no higher goal. (Living Calm 2016)

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