Better Together…?

Are we really better together, or are we just more grateful when we are not alone? I was thinking about this the other day, and it really seems to me that we are only better together when it is a benefit. Think about this – in my experience, we use this expression when we are grateful we are not alone in something.

I don’t think this is a bad thing altogether, but I do think it is not really being used the way it was intended. I think it came from a nicer, less dependent sounding way of saying “I can’t live without you.” Which does sound a little extreme, and when we hear someone say, ”I can’t live without you”, the word that quickly comes to mind is “Stalker”. So what is “Better together” supposed to mean?

I believe it is supposed to be in the context of a relationship, and how through each person’s uniqueness, that a combination of differently gifted people makes for a stronger whole than any individual is on his or her own. This is best used to describe how members of the church are supposed to be in relationship with each other.

God is a God of creation not duplication. That is why the church is described in the Bible as the “Body of Christ” where each person brings his or her own unique God-given gifts and talents together for the common good. Although uniquely talented, God’s design for you is to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Just like each of Christ’s Apostles, who at best would have been looked at like some kind of church “B Team”. Each one on their own was somewhat lacking, and powerless to change the world, yet together in community, nothing in the world could stop them from growing God’s Kingdom.

So I guess to sum it up, “Better Together”, really means better, and not just better for whomever is saying it.

…just sayin’

In His Grip,

Pastor Pat