NOBODY IS A WHOLE CHAIN. Each one is a link. But take away one link and the chain is broken.
Nobody is a whole team. Each one is a player. But take away one player and the game is forfeited.
Nobody is a whole orchestra. Each one is a musician. But take away one musician and the symphony is incomplete.
Nobody is a whole play. Each one is an actor. But take away one actor and the performance suffers.
Nobody is a whole hospital. Each one is a part of the staff. But take away one staff person and it isn't long before the patient can tell.
Smartphones are comprised of numerous parts. Each one connected to and dependent upon the other. Even a tiny chip, if it comes loose or gets wet or damaged, can shut the whole thing down.
You guessed it. We need each other. You need someone and someone needs you. Isolated islands, we're not. To make this thing called life work, we need to lean and support. And relate and respond. And give and take. And confess and forgive. And reach out and embrace. And release and rely.
Especially in the God family . . . where working together is Plan A for survival. And since we're so different (thanks to the way God built us), love and acceptance are not optional luxuries. Neither is tolerance. Or understanding. Or patience. You know, all those things you need from others when your humanity crowds out your divinity.
In other words:
Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. . . . Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. . . . When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Why? Because each one of us is worth it. Even when we don't act like it or feel like it or deserve it.
Since none of us is a whole, independent, self-sufficient, super-capable, all-powerful hotshot, let's quit acting like we are. Life's lonely enough without our playing that silly role. The game's over. Let's link up.
Devotional content taken from Good Morning, Lord . . . Can We Talk? by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2018. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved. The full devotional can be purchased at tyndale.com.
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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