By Myself

“I am not myself by myself.” This is a quote from Eugene Peterson, the well-known pastor and writer who is the person behind the contemporary translation of Scripture called “The Message.” He’s talking about the importance of community – our connection with each other. One of the things he recognizes is that there is no growth in God, in knowing God, unless we’re in a community. There was an ancient hermit in our Christian history named Pachomius. He was an Egyptian soldier who was moved by Christian charity to become a follower of Jesus, back in the early 300’s. He learned of Christian hermits in the deserts of Egypt and went to learn from them how to follow Jesus. Solitude, severity, and silence were the hallmarks of their lives. They were attempting to be pure for God and to avoid the temptations of the world. After living like that for years, Pachomius began to ask questions like… o How can you learn to love if no one else is around? o How can you learn humility living alone? o How can you learn kindness or gentleness or goodness in isolation? o How can you learn patience unless someone puts yours to the test? The full quote from Peterson goes like this… "There can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life, apart from immersion in, and embrace of, community. I am not myself by myself." We need each other. We need to share life with each other. All the “one anothering” that the Bible calls us to live out, like love one another, can only be done as we create friendships and become companions in life. Blessings, Geoff