We Need Each Other

It had been a seemingly ordinary week when Thursday came and I laid my head down on the side of the cold railing of a hospital bed. Holding my toddler’s hand, despair washed over me as I silently cried out to God.

My little boy laid listless next to me as he was given an IV drip in the emergency room at the children’s hospital. He was victim of salmonella poisoning, traced back to a popular chocolate brand whom recently had a worldwide recall of their products — in particular their chocolate eggs, something my little boy enjoyed just a few hours earlier.

After praying, I reached for my mobile phone and texted my friends, asking them to pray for my son.

Friends from all over the world, friends and family here at home, and ladies from the ministries I’m a part of at church all responded that they are covering my little one in prayer.

Fast forward a few days and my precious son fully recovered, and it was during those hard days in the hospital that made me realise just how important it is to have community around us. It even surprised me, just how much a simple text message of encouragement lifted my spirit and comforted me during the whole ordeal.

As a Christian, I had the head knowledge that God gave us community: the wonderful church. But I hadn’t truly really realised how imperative it is to our spiritual health until those nights at the hospital. I am so thankful to have my group of fellow Bible believing friends… but it has not been easy to get to this point.

In the last six months, God has been removing quite a few people in my life, and though painful at times (make that very painful — some were decades-long friendships, gone in an instant), I am still so grateful.

In removing friends who may not be the best influence on me, He graciously brought into my life Christian sisters and strengthened my friendships with those who are believers — making them not only friends but true sisters-in-Christ. These are the best kind of friendships we could ever hope for. After all, we are one body in Christ (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:27), and nothing can beat that!

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Growing up, I was always the shy, quiet girl. But around twenty-five years old I decided I was tired of letting my shyness hold me back in life, and when I started getting serious about my faith and joined a new church, I forced myself to simply “show up”. I joined a woman’s group, the young adults group; even the communications group, where I eventually designed logos and posters for church events. When I got married and became a mother, I joined (and am still part of) a woman’s Bible study and a mom’s prayer group.

If you long for Christian community and deep friendships with fellow believers, it’s really quite simple. Just show up.

By proactively showing up in the community, you are already opening numerous doors for friendship and much, much more. Commit this too in prayer: tell God about your desires for a Christian friends and community. He is faithful to answer.

And once you’re in church, you can also start serving, attend various church events, and so much more. You can find your soul sisters and your community there. We were made for community, and we need each other.

Because if there’s one thing I have learnt through this ordeal (other than we will never buy Kinder chocolate eggs again), is that we cannot do life alone. We need each other. Desperately.