We need each other. Yet when things get hard we pull away. We draw in. We hunker down.

We are living in a world where we have plenty of followers and few friends. Mass amounts of likes and few conversations. Our Twitter feeds are constant in our palms, keeping our phones awake and our hearts numb. Instagram lets us peek inside lives, but no one sees inside our hearts.

We appear connected, yet feel alone. Even worse, we believe everyone else is connected except for us. It’s true across generations. Lives are falling apart. Women are worn. Teens are tattered.  Grandmothers are weary.

Maybe He does, by creating us to need each other. When we pull away, we lose perspective. We can hide behind connections that keep us disconnected.

What happens if instead of pulling away, we decide to strive side by side? We aren’t made to do this alone. We are made to work together, not neglecting to meet together. We are made to strive side by side for the faith of the gospel. We are made to encourage one another — and all the more. We are made for our joy to be full through loving one another; to cling to what is good; to shine in the world.

What happens if we learn to reach out instead? If we pause after saying hello and let a conversation unfold. If we send a handwritten note. If we stop checking the time. What if we decide to linger rather than rush; to speak in love; to stop sleepwalking through life?

It’s time to open our eyes wide and build each other up. To worry less about the number of followers and more about following the One who makes a difference…