Our family happens to be owners of two mini-Aussies. These little boogers are eager, devoted, and ready to ensure we are perpetually near them.
Sometimes, I wonder if their sole purpose is to be by our sides. If we go outside, they want to be there. They’re right at your feet if we go into a different part of the house. Going on a walk? Yep, they’re at your heels, anticipating your next move. Wrestling with my girls… They’re there as well…barking and whining, doing all they can to get us to calm down. They don’t leave your side. They’re our little companions.
As I snapped this image above of our two dogs and later reflected, the theme of companionship hit me.
Personal Experience
For me personally, I feel companionship most when I don’t have it with others. By the way, this is not something I thought about often as a younger man. It seems like the older I get, the more reflective I’m becoming. One immediate point is looking back on the times I’ve been hunting by myself and actually harvested an animal. All the excitement and anticipation leading up to the shot was diminished when I didn’t have someone with me to share the experience. Lately, I feel this when my girls and wife are out of the house, and I’m there alone. When I don’t hear their cackling laughs, see their disheveled toys strewn on the living room rug, or hear Jenn rustling in another room, I realize how much I miss my precious companions.
Isn’t it often in times of separation from those we love or are close to that we feel the need for companionship?
A Universal Experience
Many of us have experienced some level of companionship that was a blessing and benefit. Perhaps it was a young schoolmate. Maybe it was a dog when you were growing up. Perhaps it was a fellow teammate. Maybe now it’s your spouse. Your kids. Your co-workers. A good old friend. It doesn’t take us long to realize that companionship has been part and parcel of our lives and instrumental in our growth and development as a person.
Indeed, at some level, we have had (and still do have) sweet moments of companionship that have and continue to shape us. God has hardwired both this need and the solution into His creation.
Where does this come from?
There is something inside of us that longs to belong. We need each other. Sure, the introverts among us need less of each other than others ;), but they still need companionship. It’s not only us that need companionship but all of God’s creation.
Why is that?
When God created the flora and fauna, He created them to be together. Have you ever heard of companion planting for gardening? Ecosystems work because of their interrelatedness and reciprocity within diversity. Take away variety from a forest or a plain or garden, and you have one species pulling the same nutrients, leading to disease and, ultimately, death in the form of weeds at best or erosion at worst. Why? Because one species of plant not only doesn’t sustain the organic requirements of the earth but will suck it dry until there is nothing left. God designed the earth for companionship.
It follows that humans were also made for companionship as part of God’s creation. It is no wonder that God would say, “It is not good for man to be alone.” However, the first question in the Bible from God to man is, “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9). Being separate from God was unnatural. Rightly, Solomon declares, “He who separates himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom” (Prov 18:1).
Put another way, God has ordered creation so that companionship is part of the warp and woof of being alive. Furthermore, He created humans to be in relationships so that we would experience His attributes in those relationships. Consequently, when I remove myself from companionship with others and those I love, I remove the potential of knowing aspects of God’s character that that other person or people might bring to bear in our interactions together.
This is why the author of the book of Hebrews says, “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb 10:24-25).
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- Who are the companions God has put in your life?
- How can you connect with those relationships and cultivate life in them this week? It will vary depending on how close they are to you geographically.
- Finally, how might you cultivate your relationship with God by considering Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection? In what ways has He, through Christ, met your needs? In what ways is He, through Christ, coming alongside you in your present time(s) of trouble? In what ways will He, through Christ, help you anticipate death and bring you into an eternal relationship with the Father?
Lord, help us to be faithful companions to those nearest and dearest to us. Help us to love in the same way you loved us. Amen.
— October 18, 2023