Strong Bonds ... Special Times ...

Shared experiences strengthen relationships. Sometimes we face something bigger than us. We often look around for someone(s) to help steady the way ahead.

The beauty of the NT Greek word for comfort indicates what really helps is other people. Jesus described the Spirit as the very presence of God "coming alongside." Much could be made of what this means. One nuance for me indicates someone who walks beside. While they may help me move forward and may even know the way better, they have not run ahead calling back to me. Instead, they walk alongside, steady my balance.

It is special when those we find walking beside us share in our experience. The familiarity found breeds safety and not contempt. Others may mean well but there is nothing like that brother or sister in whom you can confide; in whom you can trust with your feelings without fear. Occasionally it will be the silence that helps.

The journey is made better together. Expressing our need for each other helps us understand and live into our humanity. Thinking we can go it alone, do it by ourselves, plays into the long standing temptation to be "god."

Jesus gathered disciples. He celebrated children. Accepted women. The relational nature of the Triune God. All remind us of the description of loneliness experienced by the first human when God said it was not good to be alone. We need traveling partners.






Our way is made warmer and stronger according the writer of Proverbs ...