It's Not Good To Be Alone

The tasks associated with my job as Dining Services and Catering Manager often involve lifting. Many times the load is somewhat heavy, and I seek assistance from other staff members. When I first started out in my career as a young woman, I rarely, if ever, asked for help. I wanted to be seen as someone who could do her job without any help. It was important to me to be seen as self-sufficient. Now that I’m older and wiser (mostly), I understand the wisdom of not trying to “go it alone.” I avoid injury, the job gets done quickly and correctly, and both of us feel good about working together to complete the task.

The same can be said for our Christian pilgrimage. It can be exhausting following this journey called life, but we don’t have to do it alone. In addition to our Lord walking beside us, we have sisters and brothers in Christ who can aid us during the journey. Sometimes, it’s just fellowship that results in encouragement and joy. Other times, it’s praying for us during times of difficulty, grief, or fear.

Perhaps it’s literally others holding us up when we don’t have the strength to take another step, just as Aaron and Hur did for Moses when he could no longer hold up his staff to ensure the Israelites’ victory in battle. They supported him for hours (“…thus his hands were steady until the sun set.” Ex. 17:12).

Being prideful human beings, we often fail to ask others for help. We’re embarrassed over the situation or we don’t want to “bother others with our problems.” (Have you ever said that?) But God created us for companionship-with Himself and with others. He loves when we call on Him for our needs, and He provides allies who help us persevere.

“Since we have a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
(Hebrews 12:1 NASB)
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Linda Shenton Matchett

With a BA in Psychology and Masters in Human Resource Management, Linda Matchett has had a wide and varied career as a crisis counselor, HR generalist, B&B owner and youth center director. She is currently the Front of House, Snackbar & Catering Manager at Brewster Academy. A journalist and blogger, she has written for numerous online and print publications. An author of Christian contemporary and historical fiction, Linda is also a a motivational speaker. Available topics include Life on the (WWII) Home Front, Wartime Baking, Women in the (WWII) Workforce, The Writer’s Life, God in the Workplace, The Proverbs 31 Gal: The Woman We Love to Hate, and Ruth: Lessons from a Foreigner. Linda is a member of First Baptist Church Wolfeboro where she sings in the choir and serves as Church Treasurer and a member of the Fellowship Team.