By David ReayTuesday 17 Aug 2021LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. (NLT)
The first thing God reckoned was not good about his good world was human aloneness. When he ushered a man into his world, it was clear that just consorting with animals and birds was not enough. To be fully human, this human being needed another human being.
And so this ancient story is a reflection by the inspired author of how God fixed the problem. It is reasonable to see this as a piece of God inspired poetry reminding us that we humans, male or female, belong together. We are not rivals or enemies. We are fellow humans.
It is also reasonable to note that this story is not telling us we need to be married to be fully human. It simply tells us we need to be connected. Living in utter isolation is to fall short of being truly human. We were made for relationship, not just with God but with others.
Loneliness is an epidemic among us. And it is not resolved merely by having other people around us. There is such a thing as a lonely crowd. We can be acquainted with lots of people but ache from loneliness. This is because we need not just contact but connection. To have others in our lives who care, who listen, who are not utterly self absorbed.
If you are blessed to have anyone like that in your life, don’t let them out of your sight!
Blessings
David