The Lone Ranger

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:4-5).  
 
Have you ever thought that you could do something all on your own and you refused to ask for help? We get blinded by our own ambitions, thinking that we can take on the world alone, or worse, thinking that the Lord wants us to take on the world alone.  

When people fail us or when we feel like we don’t fit in, it’s difficult to seek out a community and ask for help. We think, “What if they don’t show up for me? What if they turn me away?” Perhaps we’ve even thought, “I shouldn’t have to ask them to help me—they should just know.”  

In our families, friendships, and churches, we have high expectations for people, and when someone fails to meet these expectations, we decide that we’re better off alone. But the problem is that once we decide to be a lone ranger, we become bitter because we’re alone.  

On the one hand, if you’ve ever been through a rough time and your people didn’t show up for you, perhaps you need new people in your corner. On the other hand, if you’ve ever been fighting to stay afloat and no one came to your aid, did you let someone know that you were drowning? While it’s our job as Christians to try to have discernment and be aware of when others are struggling, most of us are simply not that talented to recognize when someone is going through a hard time unless we know them well. Sometimes, we just miss it, and we must have grace for one another.  

If you’re out in the wilderness all by yourself, take the risk and call out for someone. There will be someone to come find you, but sometimes you need to make that extra effort to tell your people that you need help. If you call and no one comes, keep calling until someone shows up. If your people, whoever they may be, don’t come to your aid, God will send someone who will. Don’t give up.  

You were never made to live life alone. You are fashioned for community, and you’re designed to crave people, connection, and family. That’s why we are body of Christ and not just the eye of Christ or the hand of Christ. We are interwoven and joined with one another.  

There will be times when someone steps on your toes and you get frustrated with someone in this body and they get frustrated with you, but learning to work together and championing one another is how we keep the body moving. If we were to all become lone rangers, where would the body be? God wants you to ask for help because you were never intended to carry so much weight on your own. Your community is there to help you bear it, because in God’s family, no one walks alone.