Made for Relationships

"Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.'" -Genesis 2.18

I love words, and over time my favorite word changes. Most recently my favorite word was "recluse". I'm an introverted individual, I can handle people and crowds in small amounts or infrequently, but afterwards I need solitary time to recoup. And if I'm honest, part of me really loves the idea of getting a piece of ground in the middle of the wilderness and starting a homestead, away from just about everyone else. My wife would be coming of course, and I'd do my best to try and get a couple of my closest guy friends to come along and homestead with me.

The introvert in me loves the idea, but knowing that at least two of my closest guy friends would never go homesteading makes me reconsider. And then there is this verse from Genesis, "It is not good for the man to be alone". When God said this Adam was the only man on earth. He alone bears the full image of God. And while he has the companionship of every animal, including man's best friend, it wasn't enough. God, who exists in community and relationship, made us to live that way as well.

And so God makes the man fall into a deep sleep, and removes the female characteristics of God from Adam, and forms a woman. The man is joined to his wife and they become one. The relationship of a man and woman in marriage shows the full heart of God with both the masculine and feminine natures of God's image. But as any married man knows, you need relationships outside of your marriage.

I love my wife more than anyone else in the world, but there are times when I just need to be around other guys. We weren't made to do this alone; we were made for masculine fellowship. No man was meant to be a permanent recluse. Yes, there are times we need to be alone and focus on our most crucial relationship, man with his Creator, but we aren't meant to stay solitary. God Himself said, "It is not good for the man to be alone", and since God makes good things, He makes a woman, and in the woman comes offspring, others to have relationships with.

We were made for relationships, don't ignore them, don't neglect them. Embrace them, invest in them.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor