Doing Life Together Makes All Of Us Better!
The thought of, “doing life together” has always been very attractive to me. Perhaps my personality pushed me in that direction, I am not sure … but long before I understood the depth of its value, significance, or true meaning … I just knew that for me … “life together” would always be my choice.

I am told that as a young boy, I always needed to say good-bye to those in my church who I believed might feel alone … in every gathering that seemed to be my forever mission.

This preference ultimately grew into a priority and became a primary life principle for me.

This is what dominates my heart … to the point that my life and ministry are marked by building relationships and creating community.

Doing Life Together Makes All Of Us Better!
Now I know that a sense of belonging is the desire of our Father …and He created us with a sense of longing … an inner longing that draws us to reconcile with Him, so that He can use us to reconcile others to Him.

This is clearly His message to us in 2 Corinthians 5:18,19, “God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ gave us the ministry of reconciliation … and He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

Living this out is life-giving on every level!

It is for this that we have been created and to this that we have been called.

The truth is that there is something quite marvelous, even miraculous about doing life together.

I believe this with all of my being!

Doing Life Together Makes All Of Us Better!
I have been thinking a lot recently about a book I first read in the 70’s.

This book entitled, “We Really Do Need Each Other” written by pastor/author Reuben Welch had both an immediate and enduring impact on my heart.

In fact, it could well be that it was this that solidified my commitment to true fellowship, community, and life together.

In reading the capstone story of this book again, I was reminded of just how impactful the words and wisdom of this book are to me.

This is the most compelling narrative on “life together” … so I want to share it with you.

The writing style is special, so enjoy it … but most of all take this in.

This is us …this is “life together”!

Reuben writes:
“At school a few years ago there was a summer school course in “Group and Interpersonal Relations.”

About a dozen people took the class and at the end of it they decided they wanted to do something together as kind of closing to the class. You know, they had come to know each other, and to share each, and really be personal to each other and break down walls and so forth — so they decided to get together and take a hike up to Hennigar Flats.

Now Hennigar Flats is about three miles up the side of the mountain behind the campus and it takes about an hour and a half for anyone to make the hike. So they set the day and made the sandwiches and made the chocolate and brought the cold drinks and the backpacks and they got all gathered up for the safari and they started up the mountain — together.

But it wasn’t long until the strong, stalwart ones were up in front and the other ones were back in the middle and way back at the end of the line was a girl named Jane — who was, you might say, out of shape.

At the front was Don — a big, strong, former paratrooper. He and some others — the strong ones — were up in front and the weak ones were back and way in the back was Jane.

And Don said — it was he who told me the story — he looked back a couple of switchbacks and saw Jane and the Lord told him that he had just better go back and walk with her. That’s kind of hard on him because he has a need to be first.

But he went down and started walking with Jane and the people in the level above called down, “Come on up. It’s great up here.”
And Jane yelled, “I don’t think I can make it.”

And they hollered, “Yeah, you can. Try harder, come on up.”

And every time they called to her down went her own sense of worth down went her own sense of value — “I can’t make it.” “Oh, Yeah, you can. Come on.”

So the strong went on ahead and the weak hung behind and here was Jane and she never made it up to the top.

Now, look what you have.

You have a group — we know each other, we like each other, we want to do this together – let’s go to Hennigar Flats together.

But before long, you have divided the strong and the weak. the haves and have-nots, and the ables and the unables.

So what started out as a group has now become a fragmented collection.

And so the strong say, “You can do it.” And the weak say, “No, I can’t.”

And so the strong say, “Try harder” — which is a big help. That’s a big help.

And she didn’t make it.

Thankfully, that’s not the last chapter.

They must have learned their lessons because they decided that was no way to end the fellowship of that class and they got together and decided to do it again.

But they made some new rules — it was everybody goes or nobody goes and they were all going together.

So they set the day and made the sandwiches and made the chocolate and brought the cold drinks and the backpacks and they got all gathered up for the safari, and they started up the mountain.

It took them four hours to make it to the top, and the water was all gone and the cold drinks were all gone and the sandwiches were all gone and the chocolate was all gone and the backpacks were empty but they all made it together.

Let me share with you the thing that this real-life parable has been saying to me — we have got to go together. Christian fellowship is no place for get in or get out — it’s get in, get in, get in.”

Doing Life Together Makes All Of Us Better!
There really is something quite marvelous, even miraculous about this, do you see that?

The call to us is clear … “get in, get in, get in”

To this, I will say yes … and you?

-Terry-