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Togetherness can be better than independence

Regular contributor Jane Walters cherishes the opportunities to work together with others rather than independently.

Much as I’m a word-lover, with a background in studying Latin which makes sense of all those gorgeous long English words, my favourite word is actually quite a common one: together. Try saying it to yourself a few times and see what comes to mind. Your partner? Family? Friends? Work colleagues? The chances are that you’re thinking about specific incidents, the time when you experienced something which was made all the more special or significant because of who you were with.
 
I recently watched the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and was struck afresh by the power of that word together. Nelson Mandela was a man on a mission. He knew from painful experience what apartheid meant for him and his fellow black South Africans. He also knew he couldn’t challenge it on his own. He used the image of the fist to make his point: separate fingers were all well and good, but put them together and you have something powerful.
 
Society seems to applaud the solo achiever, the go-getter, the entrepreneur. Independence is prized as a virtue, with reliance on other people being perceived as weakness and yet we were never designed to live in isolation. In fact, the Bible has quite a bit to say about the value of togetherness. Right back at the beginning in the Garden of Eden, God declared that it was not good for the man to be alone, and He created Eve to be his companion and helper.
 
The writer of Ecclesiastes extends the theme in verses which are often read out at weddings: Two are better than one… If one falls down, his friend can help him up… (Ecc. 4: 9-10). Jesus talked about us being yoked with Him, sharing the burden of the task so we don’t become worn out (Matthew 11:28-30).
 
Living and working together extends much wider than the marriage relationship and family, and its ripples of effectiveness can travel far. Think of the Covid 19 pandemic. Teamwork saw NHS workers battling shoulder to shoulder when the crisis was at its height and community helpers (many from churches) rallying to serve elderly and vulnerable neighbours. Thoughts of themselves were laid aside as they shared the common purpose of standing against the invasion of the virus and showing compassion to the needy.
 
In my experience, it’s in church that the beauty of togetherness is most clearly seen, where a bunch of believers take God at His word and agree that it’s not good for us to be alone. Let’s be people who invite others to join us. We all need each other. Together.
 


Jane Walters 175Jane Walters, formerly Clamp, is the author of Too Soon, a mother’s journey through miscarriage (SPCK) and a regular contributor to Premier Radio and UCB. She is also vice-chair of the Association of Christian Writers. Jane leads creative writing retreats and is a popular speaker locally and further afield. Visit: janewyattwalters.com
 

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