Verse of the Day - Ecclestiastes 4:10

If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. ~ Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NLT)

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We are a prideful bunch, aren't we?

We want to do things ourselves, and tend not to ask for help. Do you realize how risky that is in life? To not bounce ideas off of someone first before entering into an endeavor, or not getting a helping hand with a difficult task can lead to ruin, in more ways than one. But we still tend to try standing alone, braving things by ourselves, either because we want the glory if success is achieved, or we're afraid to ask for assistance because we don't want to bother people or make it look like we're incompetent.

Does any of this ring a bell with you?

Coming from the wisest man who ever lived is a warning to those who "do it" alone . . . living alone is risky; falling alone is real trouble. How many hiker horror stories have we heard about those who hike alone and end up stranded somewhere at the bottom of a canyon, and no one has a clue where they are? Or how about the horror of self-inflicted physical and emotional isolation, where people choose to be alone and separate from others, and often end up at the bottom of a mental canyon, steeped in depression, and no one even knows? Or how about the person who decides, on their own, that this business venture is too good to pass up, but says nothing to anyone, in order to keep the fortune for themselves, only to end up on the short end of a scam, and lying alone at the bottom of a rocky financial canyon?

We need each other . . . and we need God. If we rely on our own thinking and our own devices, we can short-change or endanger ourselves. Pride becomes a very lonely and dangerous place to be. And yet, God stands ready to be our point man, which is the lead soldier of an infantry patrol on combat operations, or a person who serves in the forefront, as of an economic or political issue. And He brings people into our lives to give us the help we need in order to stay grounded and stable. That is, if we're willing to open our eyes and our ears.

Wisdom says Get help. Don't try to be the Lone Ranger without a good horse and a trusty sidekick.

Love,
Joelene