Don't Go It Alone

“I do believe; help my unbelief.” 

Words spoken from a desperate father seeking a miracle for his son in Mark 9:24. 

Ever been there? You believe, and simultaneously shutter with unbelief. Usually occurs right in the moment when a miracle is needed most. We desperately try to hold it all together. And the more we grasp for it, the more we realize how much we fall short and it slips through our fingers. We believe; yet we don't. 

The quandary of faith is a wrestling match and seldom won alone. I've found that many times when I'm at my weakest; it's a friend's faith that pulls me through, not my own. Maybe I'm the only one who is fiercely independent and buys into the ridiculously proud idea that somehow I'll be able to perfect myself enough to believe on my own every time. And maybe at times I think my world is small enough to go at it alone, and why should I bother others with it. 

Whatever the reasons, in my wrestling matches I discover over and over again one simple truth.... My greatest strength lies not within me, but within the community surrounding me.

Living life at it's best is one where you have what you need, when you need it. At the critical times, that most often comes through the hands, words, and love of good friends. Cultivate those friendships, and be there for them when they need you too.