Check back each Monday for a short devotional with Chaplain Art Pace to help you start the week off well.
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 2:18
In the first two chapters of Genesis, Moses describes God’s plan in creation. The pinnacle of creation was to make humans in his likeness. However, God did not create man and woman simultaneously. He created a man first. He then taught that man, Adam, that he was not designed to be alone. Adam needed to understand that clearly. Then God created Eve, the woman. They were the first battle buddies! So, the first lesson in the Garden of Eden was that it is not good for any of us to be alone.
This does not have to refer just to marriage or to dating. It can also refer to having people that we care about included in the circles of our lives. That can be challenging sometimes, as military missions or job demands, or life circumstances can make great demands on our time and energy. The changes in duty assignments and PCS’s can also be frustrating. It can therefore be tempting for some to surrender and cease to cultivate or maintain meaningful relationships.
But it is not good that we should be alone. We must make a concerted effort to stay connected to people that we care about and who care about us, even if that is only one person for now. Relationships built on social media, FaceTime, and phone calls can be good in a pinch, but in the long haul, we are reminded by God that we were designed for in-person relationships. We especially need to make the effort to attend church, Bible study, Sunday School, and other such Christian fellowships. The time for being a Lone Ranger is over. Oh, and remember that even the Lone Ranger had a battle buddy!
What am I doing to stay close to my family and friends? Who can I rely upon to be my battle buddy?
