OUR NEED TO BE NEEDED

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

It’s easy, and certainly more convenient, to go through life alone, isn’t it?

After being hurt by people (whether inside or outside the church) and experiencing disappointment after disappointment, it can prove quite difficult to have a positive mindset about Christian community.

True unity seems to be the furthest thing from possible amongst Christians in this day and age.

One of my favorite examples of this attitude toward relationships is a character by the name of Mr. Fredricksen in the movie Up. In this movie, Mr. Fredricksen, an elderly man who has lost his wife, finds himself in the difficult process of being relocated to an assisted living facility and being forced to move out of the comfort of his home against his will.

This is no small life event for Mr. Fredricksen. His home is all he has left. It’s the home that he and his wife had created and made years of memories in, and it’s only a matter of days before it’s torn down and destroyed.

However, prior to moving, he meets Russell, a young boy who is outgoing, as well as an adventurous Wilderness Explorer. Russell’s goal is to help Mr. Fredricksen in whatever way he can in order to earn his final Wilderness Explorer merit badge.

Mr. Fredricksen is not at all welcoming to Russell because he thinks he wants nothing more than to be left alone to sit in his sorrow. You see, for Mr. Fredricksen, being alone felt easier than being around other people, getting connected, and being supported.

Notice I said that Mr. Fredricksen “thought” he wanted nothing more than to be left alone. That’s not really what Mr. Fredricksen wanted at all.

Mr. Fredricksen’s true want was to be needed. He needed to be needed.

It’s interesting to me that Russell had precisely the same need. He also needed to be needed.

I won’t ruin the movie for you in case you haven’t seen it, but Mr. Fredricksen and Russell both come to realize through a series of events that they really do need each other, and it’s the most beautiful thing as they learn to do life together.  

Ultimately, we watch as they begin to heal together too.

I wholeheartedly believe the Lord has placed a need within each one of us to be needed. Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Christian community is a gift that God wants us to enjoy and use to further His Kingdom. It is the very means by which we reach a lost and broken world, so it is of the upmost importance.

We need each other to function how God intended for us to. 

I have found that it’s easy to get so comfortable with our social, mental, and spiritual isolation that we don’t even realize we are alone. That’s exactly where the enemy wants us, and dare I say, where the enemy has many of us.

Francis Chan once said, “The world needs Christians who don’t tolerate the complacency of their own lives.”

We will never, ever be effective for the Kingdom if we live life alone. Christian community has the power to revive and strengthen us.

Though it may be easier, and certainly more convenient to go through life alone, I’m not willing to tolerate my own complacency. People matter, and people’s souls are at stake.

Your little corner of the world matters. If you surrender yourself fully to Jesus, you may just find out it has the power to impact the whole world.

Don’t let the enemy win today.

SO, WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= Have you been tolerating your own complacency?

= What are you going to do differently?