RJ discusses going at it alone, versus having a support team, in missions.
There's an African proverb that states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
joke how some work days quickly turn into social days. I arrive at the office fully prepared to be a productive working-machine and finish ten different projects, yet somehow end up completing only a few tasks and talking with people the rest of the time.
The lack of work I accomplish on those days can be irritating, but lately, the Lord has been reminding me frequently how important relationships are.
Working in communications, half of my job involves being out and about visiting different ministries to conduct interviews and capture photographs. The second part is taking everything I hear and see on those visits and sharing it with the world via newsletters, stories, blog posts, etc., all of which can be done from home.
Maybe I would accomplish more working in solitude, but if I did, I would be missing out on something vital: relationships.
People are more important than projects.
It's so easy to be busy. Too easy, really. There are days I arrive home exhausted, wanting nothing more than to lie down on the couch and zone out. However, a knock on the door and an invitation to supper quickly disrupts that plan. Or the door opens on its own, and the kids from next door skip in to show off a toy or share a new joke. The first minute or two, I may lament over the lost “me time,” but afterwards, I am always left with a smile on my face and a sense of contentment in my heart. Never once have I regretted these interactions, despite my initial feelings.
There is great value in relationships; in speaking into other people's lives and vice versa. Though they take time, effort, compromise, and many other things, a Christ-centred relationship helps me grow, stretch, and delve deeper than I would on my own.
I find that proverb to be true. I can go fast, work hard and never really establish any relationships, but where will I have gone? At some point, I may encounter a hurdle that requires a little extra boost or a helping hand and be unable to move anywhere because I am alone. But going with someone, we can go far.
And let's not forget the greatest friend of all: our Lord and Saviour.
If you're having a hard time relating to the proverb, maybe you can find truth in the words of our Father:
“Two are better than one... If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10