Proverbs 18:1. Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.
When God created Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden he said something very important – It is not good for man to be alone. Then God created Eve out of Adam so that he would have another image bearer to be his friend and companion.
What God said in the beginning has never changed. It STILL is not good for a person to be alone. It is not good for us to isolate ourselves. In the words of the great poet John Donne, “No man is an island.”
We live in a world that tells us to find our identity and meaning alone. From within. Follow your heart, be your true self, authenticity, expressive individualism, these are the doctrines of our society. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, as long as you are being real and are happy with who you are.
But this is exactly the foolishness that Proverbs warns us about. To create your identity in isolation is both impossible and dangerous. Impossible because no one is able to create an internal identity apart from a myriad of outside influences. If you think you are the one person who is unique, and different, the renegade individualist that has broken away from society’s control to live your truth, um…actually, you have only done exactly what society has told you to do.
Not only is it impossible to create an identity in isolation it is dangerous to even try. Often we want to isolate so that we can selfishly do whatever we want to do. I don’t know about you, but I know that for me being alone for too long is a recipe for disaster. I’m an introvert at heart, so I love the idea of isolation. But I’ve lived long enough with myself at this point to know that after a while isolation usually causes me to break out against all sound judgment.
Of course it is not wrong to want to be alone sometimes, away from others and the stress of relationships so that we can think and rest. But even in our alone time the Christian is never alone. Christ is with us always. For the person in Christ being alone is not an opportunity to seek our own desires, but to bring our desires in alignment with Christ’s own desires through prayer and meditation on his word.
Christ in you wants to spend most of his time around others in service and fellowship. How do I know? Because that’s exactly how Jesus lived his life – around others. As Peter says, Jesus “went around doing good.” Jesus in you wants to be with other people, sharing with them, being kind to them, encouraging them, and offering grace to them too. This is what allowed, even Jesus, to mature into the selfless servant that he was. Never living from his own desire or judgment alone, but from the shared desire and judgment of the Father.
The church is Christ’s incredible gift to us to keep us from living in isolation. Living within the body of Christ is never easy, but it was never meant to be. The church community is meant to be a refiner’s fire for our faith, hope, and love. When God commands us to gather together he is protecting our hearts from the indwelling sin of selfishness and bad judgment. It is in community that our desires are revealed and tested. It is together with other believers that our hearts are exposed and opened up to receive and give love and grace. And that is the soundest of judgment.
You: Do you tend to isolate yourself? Form your own identity?
You in Christ: How does your union with Christ keep you from wanting to live in isolation?
Christ in you: What is one specific way you can seek out godly community?
Pray: Jesus, with you I am never alone, and by your grace I can be formed through community. Help me to avoid the selfishness of isolation. Amen.
To Live is Christ 