Reasons to Walk Through Life with Others

In Colossians 2:6 I read, “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.” (NLT)

The Bible often compares life to a walk because life is a journey—I’m not sitting still.

The New Testament repeatedly says that I should walk in wisdom, love, light, and obedience. It tells me to walk as Jesus walked—including walking alongside others.

Here are three reasons I’m learning for the need to walk with others:

It’s safer. Walking alone at night through a dark alley or down a lonely country road is a little scary. But if I have another person with me, I feel safer.

It’s supportive. Life is not a 50-yard dash; it’s a marathon. Walking with others gives me the energy to keep on going until the end. 

It’s smarter. I learn more by walking with others than by walking alone. If I’m walking alone in the wrong direction, I may never realize it. But if I have a friend beside you, one of us is likely to recognize that I’ve veered off the path. Then we can find the right direction together.

There are other ways I get smarter by walking with others, ones in which important lessons can be learned together.

I learn how to get along and cooperate with others.

I will also learn how to love. Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (NIV). Community is God’s answer to loneliness. When I walk alongside others, I find a community where I learn how to love.

Walking alongside others teaches you hospitality. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:9, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (NIV).

What’s my grumble? What’s my excuse for not opening my home to friends? Maybe I think, “My home is dirty!” Well, clean it up! Or perhaps my excuse is, “My home isn’t big enough.” Can I put three people in it? Jesus says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20 NIV).

Everybody has a longing for belonging because God made us for relationships. When I walk alongside other Christians in the community, I find that longing satisfied.

In summary, the Bible often compares life to a walk because life is a journey. I should walk in wisdom, love, light, and obedience. Scripture tells me to walk as Jesus walked—including walking alongside others. Here are some reasons I’m learning for the need to walk with others: It’s safer. Walking alone at night is a little scary. But if I have another person with me, I feel safer. It’s supportive. Life is not a 50-yard dash; it’s a marathon. Walking with others gives me the energy to keep on going. It’s smarter. I learn more by walking with others than by walking alone. If I’m walking alone in the wrong direction, I may never realize it. There are other ways I get smarter by walking with others. I learn how to get along and cooperate with others. I will also learn how to love. Community is God’s answer to loneliness. When I walk alongside others, I find a community where I learn how to love. Walking alongside others teaches me hospitality. Everybody has a longing for belonging because God made us for relationships. When I walk alongside other Christians in the community, I find that longing satisfied. 

Receiving Christ as Lord of my life is the beginning of life with Christ. But I must continue to follow his leadership by being rooted, built up, and strengthened in the faith.  Christ wants to guide and help me with my daily problems. I can live for Christ by (1) committing my life and submitting my will to him; (2) seeking to learn from him, his life, and his teachings; and (3) recognizing the Holy Spirit's power in me.