Raise your hand if you're a Lord of the Rings fan! I recently attended a lecture that gave incredible insight about this epic story of good versus evil and hope versus despair. The speaker brought light to the fact that the main character, Frodo, would never have accomplished his mission of destroying the one Ring and defeating the evil ruler, Sauron, without the help of his "Fellowship" of friends. If it hadn't been for Sam's loyalty and optimism, Gandalf's wisdom, Aragorn's fearlessness, and the faithfulness and determination of countless others, Frodo's own weaknesses and the power of the Ring would have surely conquered over any good intent, on his part, to do what was right. In fact, time and time again, when faced with a choice between fighting against or giving into temptation, he frequently chose the latter. While being of good heart, truly selfless, and desiring the greater good, by himself Frodo was far too weak to accomplish such a daunting task. It was only through almost complete reliance on his counterparts that he was able to get the Ring to its place of destruction in Mount Doom.
In much the same way you and I, dear friend, cannot go through this life, relying solely on ourselves. We cannot accomplish the infinitely greater "mission" of becoming saints without the support of our friends, our family, and most importantly God.
You see, God did not create humans to be self-reliant. He did not create us to be alone and independent. He created us to rely on the people He placed in our lives and especially to rely on Him. This is why, in Genesis 2:18, after He created Adam, God says, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him," and he then created Eve to be a lifelong companion for Adam. This is also why in Proverbs 3:5 it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."
Actually living out God's desire for us to be dependent on others in our modern culture, however, can be confusing. Independence has become idolized among many. Young people are constantly being told by mainstream media, Hollywood, and the music industry that we don't need anyone but ourselves to achieve success, to be happy, or to be fulfilled. The "me, myself, and I" slogan is a common and overpowering theme of so much of what we consume. Essentially, we are being bombarded with the message that becoming independent is one of the most esteemed things we can do, as young people. It's no wonder that we would believe that to be true!
But, on the contrary, this message is false and so harmful.
I don't know about you, but having the support of my family and friends isn't just something I enjoy; it's something I can't live without! Being able to go to someone when I need encouragement, advice, or comfort is a great gift and privilege that I never want to give up or take for granted. I would not be the person I am today without other people. I would not have made it through the most difficult times without other people. Is that an indication that I am weak? Yes, actually. Turns out...I am human! In fact, it turns out...we are all human and we are all weak! God knows this. He knows we aren't strong enough to conquer every sin, trial, and challenge alone. He knows we need other people and He is merciful and loving enough to have given us those people to lean on.
So, why throw that all away for a lie that modern culture wants us to believe? Why follow the advice of our corrupt society, which knows nothing about us personally, over the God who created us, who knows us better than we know ourselves, who knows every desire, every thought, and every struggle we've ever had and ever will have? The very same God who, because He knew we couldn't bring about our own salvation, laid down His own life out of love for us.
In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." It seems pretty reasonable to rely on the one person who knows the plan for your life in its entirety!
You are human. You need help. You cannot do life alone. You cannot get to Heaven by your own doing. And that is okay. You weren't meant to do it alone and why would you want to, anyway? Why would you want to rely on yourself to get to Heaven when God has given you Himself and others to take that journey with you?
"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken."
~ Ecclesisastes 4:9-12
