Faith is not existential, it’s relational. Many people say that it’s just them and Jesus and that’s enough, but such an approach to Christian living doesn’t really work. This is because we adhere to the doctrine of incarnation, which means that the Word of God became flesh, lived among us, died, was raised, and ascended into Heaven. But that isn’t all there is to the story, because incarnation continued in the Church. This was made clear in Acts chapter 2 when the Holy Spirit entered the body of every single believer. And what it means for us today is that because of His indwelling, when we look at a fellow disciple, we’re not only seeing that person, we’re gazing at Christ within them. Likewise, we’re not just listening to that person, we’re listening to His Spirit speak through them. Even though we are all by nature flawed and make mistakes, when we bond with other eternal souls, we’re actually bonding with the Spirit of God Himself. This is why it’s so imperative that we not forsake having deep, personal relationships with other followers of Jesus. While we can learn a lot about our Lord in prayer, quiet times, and by reading the Bible, sometimes we need to experience Him through someone else before we grasp what He’s trying to teach us. Whether it’s a word of wisdom, a confirmation, or just an empathetic and loving embrace, something about encountering our Savior in another person has the power to impact us in life-changing ways.

My friend, even if you’ve been hurt before, don’t shy away from relationships. Instead of writing people off as untrustworthy and fatally flawed, pray that the Holy Spirit will bring you to the right friends with whom to fellowship, and focus on being a good friend to them. God is your loving Father, and He wants to meet your need for connection so He can continually reveal new facets of His nature to you. Make yourself available to others, and in turn, He will cause your path to cross with those who can help you become more like Him in every season.