TribesSample

WE NEED EACH OTHER

Out here in the West, we LOVE the idea of the individual. We almost worship the idea that God created each and every person unique, and there are a million ways we go about celebrating that. And while yes, God loves every single individual so much that Jesus was willing to die for each of them, this obsession with individuality often comes with one very dangerous drawback: isolation. 

There is a fascinating and tragic story of a young man, Chris McCandless, who sought to escape all the trappings of society and to live on his own in the remote wilderness of Alaska. Upon graduating college, he gave his savings away, ditched most of his possessions, and hitchhiked all the way to Alaska to attempt living off the land. He found shelter in an abandoned bus, and for a while lived his dream of foraging for plants, hunting for food, and simply enjoying living all on his own…miles from civilization. He was, at this point, the ultimate individual. 

Sadly, he lacked the experience and supplies to survive long-term in the wild, and he found himself trapped – too weak to hike back to civilization for help. His body was discovered by some hunters nine weeks after he had starved to death. What is possibly the most tragic part of Chris’ story is that while out there living his individualistic dream, he realized just how much he actually needed people in his life. Much of what we know about his journey comes from the journals he kept along the way, and one heartbreaking entry near the end of his life simply reads: “happiness only real when shared.” All alone out in the Alaskan wilderness, Chris realized his dream was incomplete – the happiness he sought in being his own man on his own terms eluded him because true happiness and fulfillment comes in community.

The reason I bring all that up is not just because I find it to be a fascinating story, but because it serves as a constant reminder to me that we need other people. That may be a hard statement to swallow, but it is simply true! And listen, needing other people doesn’t diminish your individuality. You can still be wonderfully, uniquely you…but that doesn’t mean you should do that on your own. We need other people in our lives, we need groups, we need a tribe to belong to. It is not weakness to admit we need community to support us in life – it’s actually true strength. 

So, in what ways have you tried to isolate yourself, or to pretend you don’t need other people? Have you kept “the real you” hidden from those around you? Have you kept friends, family, and people at church at a distance because you wanted to protect yourself in some way? Read the following verses about community, and then spend a few minutes talking with God about where you need to allow other people into your life more and how you would go about doing that.