Exhausted. Worn. Busy. How overwhelming life can be. Taking care of oneself can feel like an accomplishment in and of itself. But we aren’t meant to live life alone, isolated, only watching out for ourselves and nursing our wounds. We need to exercise painful love, sacrificial love.

Why do we shy away from others, as if we are capable instead of coming to each other for healing? Why do we shy away from others when they need our assistance? None of us are living lives devoid of pain or problems. We all have wounds. We all have needs.

And we all need each other.

Why is it that we pretend that we do not need others? Is our pride truly so massive that we cannot admit to needing comfort, support, or encouragement? Are we so selfish that we hoard those things for ourselves instead of giving them away? Giving our strength for others. Giving our time for others. Giving ourselves. Giving.

Are we not in this same sphere for a reason? Are we not the arms and legs of Christ? Should we not support each other as brothers and sisters? Are we not to learn from the wisdom of others?

Surely, we need each other.

We are to mutually support each other through the tough, the easy. We are to support each other in spiritual growth. But how is that possible if we never allow ourselves to be vulnerable?

Honest.

If we are honest with ourselves, we can see how our heartbeats are threaded together. We long for connection, support. If we so deeply desire such things why are we so reluctant to give it out? Why are we so hesitant to build intimate relationships, where we can show our hearts and pour into one another? Why are we so tentative when it comes to revealing our needs?

What a beautiful thing friendship is. What a gift. What a blessing.

So we must shed ourselves of our proud exterior. We must be unshackled from the bonds of fear, selfishness, and pretense. Let us be real. Let us be true brothers and sisters to each other. Let us uphold each other. Let us seek ways to help. Let us seek support when we are weak.

There is such unimaginable beauty in the purity of a selfless relationship. Good gracious. Why do we stay cocooned away from the world where we can help and be helped? Why do we not take advantage of the great gift of companionship, fellowship.

Yes, vulnerability is scary. Yes, relationships can hurt. People fail. We let others down.

However, what joy is there in self-preservation when it only amounts to self-love? What is the point in a life lived apart from the fullness of relationship? We are designed for relationship. We are built to love others. We are made to bond together in Christ and unite in selfless support, one for another.

What breathtaking beauty there is in the spirit that is true, in a friendship that is solely out of love.