No Man Is An Island

Wednesday, 23 August 2023

“You are better having a friend than to be all alone, because then you will get more enjoyment out of what you earn. If you fall, your friend can help you up. But if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble. Someone might be able to beat up one of you, but not both of you. As the saying goes, “A rope made from three strands of cord is hard to break.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭10‬, ‭12‬ ‭CEV‬‬

We are all part of a whole, none of us are created to do this life in isolation. GOD designed it this way because we are created in His image and likeness. When He created us, the whole Godhead was involved. “Then GOD said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;” Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬a NKJV‬‬. There’s an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”. Life can be long, and at times, we will need others to help us up and we too will be there to help when others are down.

“And the LORD GOD said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. It is GOD who first saw that it is not good for man to be alone. This, I believe, is why He has planted us in communities (the church, families). We often tend to be shortsighted when our things are going well and want to live isolated lives away from others. Besides the fact that we will need help one day, we are “stealing” from those we should be helping at that time.

“The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched, And he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown].” Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭AMP‬‬. We should not be naive and think that we can do life alone, outside of community. Each and every one of us matters, there’s a gift that we carry that is meant to benefit others. Like a tree, the shade it creates is for others and the fruit it bears is also for others’ enjoyment, there’s no tree that eats its own fruit. It is when we play a part in GOD’s bigger picture that we become fruitful, when we are faithful in the little we can be entrusted with much.

Like a tree, the shade it creates is for others and the fruit it bears is also for others’ enjoyment, there’s no tree that eats its own fruit