Do you have people?

My Wesley UMC People who I’ve journeyed with for years now. LOVE these ladies!

Are you a people person? Do you like to have people around you? Do things with friends? Or are you more of a loner? Like the quiet and solitude of a party of one?

Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, we all need people. Some of us prefer more people than others but as the saying goes,

No man is an island.”

I have a group of ladies I have known for over seventeen years. I met them when I first moved to Georgia. We all have daughters the same age. All five s are freshmen in college. We also have other children, some older, some younger. These girls have been besties since they were a year old.

While the mamas have all been close and relied on one another through the years, the girls have also. They have been texting, Facetiming (is that even a word) and calling each other as they adjust to college life at the various colleges they’ve chosen.

The moms, well we’ve been texting prayer requests since the day the first one left for school. Two of us have been down this road before with older children but its all uncharted waters for three of the ladies. It’s been helpful to have someone going through the same thing to talk with and send prayer requests to these first few weeks [Proverbs 27:17].

I also have another group of ladies that I serve in ministry with and we stay in touch each week through phone calls, emails, coffee dates or lunch out.

When someone is in need, they send up a white flag and the rest of us are there.

When one is in need, the others are willing to be her defender, her cheerleader, her sounding board, or the swift kick in the rear so she won’t give up. Whatever it takes, we do it.

God created us for community. Genesis 1:26 says,

…”Let us make man in our image…”

Us… our… God in and of Himself is a picture of community: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Community. We were created for community.

So why do we need each other? Why did God, in His infinite wisdom, create us for community? To help us. Hebrews 10:25 gives a clue.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

God created us for community so we could have each others’ backs. We all go through things in life [John 16:33]. Its just a part of life. The good news is you don’t have to walk that journey alone. Not only did God place people in your life to walk it with you, He will as well [Psalm 23:4].

If you feel you don’t have people, if you’re feeling isolated, take some time to reflect. Have you been inviting? Have you reached out to others? Have you been a friend?

My mother used to always say to me,

The best way to have a friend is to be a friend.”

The general message, be to others what you want them to be to you. Sound familiar to anyone? Jesus put it this way,

Do to others as you would have them do to you.” [Luke 6:31]

So who are your people? Who are those you rely on? How have they helped you? Share a story in the comments of how your people have carried you through.