Together.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 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." Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV

Maybe you know that verse by heart. Maybe you've heard it so many times that it doesn't really register anymore.

How about...

"Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve Him shoulder to shoulder." Zephaniah 3:9 NIV

We are meant to live this life TOGETHER. To serve God TOGETHER. To conquer our failures with the help of OTHERS. I think we seem to be failing at this. People often use Hebrews 10:24-25 as a reason we should all attend a church. But I think it's so much more then that! I think it applies to life in general! People can go to church for years and never have a REAL relationship with anyone in it....you know the kind of friendship that encourages and lifts you up. As a society, we are failing at encouraging others. We are all about self. We think we are the most important thing. We need to learn to fight FOR each other, not WITH each other! We are all starving for encouragement and love. I see it everywhere. I feel it myself.

I believe that God created us with a need for each other. Not just your family or your spouse. We have a need that can only be filled by other people, because we are meant to live this life together. You can have 800 facebook friends but no real close friendships in real life. There's something wrong with that. I think we are all lonely. We are all discouraged, to some degree. We all need encouragement. People aren't going to ask for that. We need to get off our butts and go out in real life and actually become a part of a community. We are not going to make close friends by waiting for the right person to come along. We make close friends by going out and being there for other people.

I may be speaking to you, but I am speaking to me. :)