Familiar Territory

We all need someone don’t we?

My three-year-old son doesn’t think he needs to hold a hand to cross the street anymore. And I’m almost inclined to agree with him because he can get down out of the big white van, open and shut the big half door, and unlatch and open the 12-foot steel farm gate all on his own without any help. He then runs down the driveway attempting to race ahead of the van like his big brother would do.

He’s still pretty little, but not much can stand in the way of Obi the fearless one. As long as he’s in familiar territory with familiar people. Put him in a new place with strangers and he’s hiding behind mom’s knees.

We all grow up and gain new proficiencies, then encounter novel situations and unfamiliar people. An engaged or newly married couple is ready to take on the world, a middle schooler who makes it up the ladder walks with a new swagger and a really cool collection of keychains (no keys yet though). A teen with new friends and new freedom is ready to take on the world. New relationships, new experiences and skills. New opportunities to encounter the strange and explore the unknown.

We All Need Someone

If life was a sci-fi or fantasy story, it’s hard to choose which half of the duo I’d want to be. I’m not sure if I’d want to be the hobbit or the wizard, the Mandalorian or the little green guy, Dorothy or the Tin Man.

The difference between being human and inhuman is less about what your body parts are made of and more about being able to connect with people around you and needing it. Perhaps the most interesting thing about artificial intelligence so far is that it needs humans to continue to train it in order for it to improve and continue being useful.

You may have all your real parts but still might have a stone-like heart. The Tin Man was missing his ticker but was still kind, compassionate and self-sacrificing without it. J.R.R. Tolkien’s grey wizard, while looking human, wasn’t born from one and wasn’t trusted by many because of his mysterious power, yet he remained a faithful friend even through the most hopeless of times. Grogu is an alien species and at the same time probably the cutest, most endearing person on screen in a long time. He is a combination of mostly puppet, with some robotics and animation, by the way, and somehow some of us just love him.

The thing that ties all the stories together is a need for family-like bonds with someone else. Someone who will walk the road with you, swoop in when you call for help, dodge bullets with you, take care of you when you can’t and just stick with you.

With You Always

With you always. Is that a husband-and-wife promise or an echo of a more original promise?

“You’ll be my people and I’ll be your God. I’ll never leave you or forsake you. I’ll be with you always until the end of the age.”

Those are promises that rustle up the hunger in every human soul. I want that.

It’s no secret that I was afraid of the dark well into adulthood! It was irrational to feel like something was going to jump out from somewhere when I took out the trash at night, but it was the thought of being alone without backup that allowed the fear to creep in.

Imagine me, a 6-foot-2 athletic guy, tossing the bag into the bin and running back to the house. I laugh now, but fear is never fun.

Did you know the most common command in Scripture is DO NOT BE AFRAID? And most of the time it’s a visitation from God that someone like Abraham is afraid of in those stories. And many of them are being visited by some strange being at night! Of course they were afraid!

It’s not the DON’T part of the message that helped them. It’s what comes after.

For the LORD your God is with you.

The God who knows us and has shown Himself to us—He is with you. That’s why you don’t need to fear.

You Are Not Alone

You are not alone. Yes, you need somebody. You need hugs, and sometimes a push from behind.

This week I got one of those nudges and it resulted in a breakthrough. It wasn’t brilliant advice from my wife, even though she is bright like a star. With the help of the Holy Spirit, she has never given up on me. It was her nudging that reminded me I needed to put in the effort on something that I was a bit discouraged about.

That didn’t give me any good ideas, it just reminded me that I’m not alone. And I have to tell you, the results of that bit of effort turned a challenging situation into a space full of possibilities. That’s starting to sound like the third act of some of my favorite stories.

God will bring the right people around you, but your breakthrough isn’t another person. It’s letting fear know that you’re not alone this time and watching it run with its tail between its legs.

Usually the people God brings alongside you will just remind you that you were never alone.

What If You Aren’t Alone?

I still fear the dark sometimes, but it’s not taking out the trash. It’s a relationship that confuses my insightful mind or a situation that I can’t see out of, or the thought that something bad could spring up in a split second. But more than anything, the fear of being alone is stronger than not seeing or knowing what’s around the corner.

A fearless offer of trust can soften an enemy, while living in fear can repel even a friend.

Do not be afraid. The Lord is with you.

It may be difficult. It could be that what you need to do is harder than anything you’ve ever done. But what if hope is just around the corner? Will it be worth the risk trying again? What if you aren’t alone? And who knows what you might gain?