The Beginning: "ALONE"

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"You're never alone."
This common Christian 'feel-good' phrase is often heard when someone, in an act of honest vulnerability, dares to express that they feel alone.
The generic, watered-down response of, "You're never alone," rarely provides comfort or reassurance; instead, this vulnerable person now feels like a failure.
If God is always there, why do I feel alone? Is it because I'm not seeking Him enough?
Good question. Many would say, "Yup, it's your fault. Better step up those morning devos."

The term "alone" has fallen into the sin pool. I view the sin pool as a pot of words the Christian culture has thrown together and labeled as "sin" or "evil" when these words/feelings/actions aren't really sin unless in occasional contexts.

Epiphany: God created the feeling of being "alone" before sin even entered the world. Take a look:

"And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

-Genesis 2:18

God labeled Adam as "alone" during a time when Adam spoke with, walked with, and spent every second in God's presence. Still, God deemed him in need of a helper. A supporter. What does this mean? Can we be alone even when we're with God?

Recently, God's impressed upon me the importance of a Christian support system. He's showing me it's okay to need someone. This doesn't mean that I doubt Him. He designed His body as a support system, not as a red pen divvying out judgment.
When I first moved to Missouri last autumn, I had no one. During that time, God chose to fill every role I needed. He was my support system, but then He trickled some of His children into my life and allowed them to fill some of the needed roles, all the while remaining the Leader.

My support system was absent this week, depriving me of the two people I turn to most for encouragement and Godward-pointed binoculars. The enemy (not necessarily just Satan, but doubts, fears, questions, worries, etc.) stood on my doorstep with me, waving farewell as my support system departed their separate ways for the next week. Then he invited himself into my apartment with a confident step and set up camp. I tripped over his tent the first two mornings and wondered aloud to God why my joy, smiles, and reassurance seemed to be super-glued to the carpet.

"Support system," He whispered.
"But they're gone!" I whined.
God didn't buy it. He's a fan of modern technology. It only took one large swallow of pride and a couple texts to contact my support system and ask for prayer. The responses were instantaneous and uplifting...lifting my enemy's tent right off its pegs and out the window.

Thousands of years later, God is still whispering to us, "It is not good for you to be alone."
Are we turning to our support systems? Friends? Family? Spouses? Church? Are we establishing support systems in our lives? Equally as important, are we being a support system to those close friends, family, spouses, etc? Or are we uncapping the red Sharpie and scribbling, "You're never alone. You're just not focusing on your morning devotions enough."
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