This morning I went for a run. It was early. It was raining lightly. Not ridiculously cold, but a little chilly. Not the kind of situation that usually inspires someone to get outside and exercise. But my friend was expecting me to be out there with him and I wasn’t about to let him down.

About a month ago, Erica let me know that she and I were going to be spending the day scraping the popcorn finish off the ceiling in our living room. If you’ve ever done one of these deals you know what I’m talking about. Caked in dust, all the scraping, then sanding for hours, then finally painting. I don’t especially enjoy any of that. Working together, it wasn’t too bad.

Stuck in traffic. Waiting in a long line. Washing the car. Folding laundry. Some of these things are worse than others, but all of these things are way more tolerable when we do them with someone else. Maybe you’ve coached a team in a sport like basketball, golf, or tennis, and you were the only Coach out there. Contrast that with experiences you’ve had coaching teams with other people. Occasionally Coaches on the same staff can butt heads with each other, or even throw keys at each other, but for the most part, we are way more effective together than we are by ourselves. We enjoy our work more, we communicate better and our athletes play better as a result.

We see in the Bible the wisdom of teamwork and partnership. When Jesus sent out seventy (or 72) to share His good news in Luke chapter 10 he sent them out in pairs. He knew the potential for discouragement that comes from loneliness. In the past 2000 years, not much has changed. Discouragement and hopelessness that result from isolation run rampant in our world.

The great irony is that we’ve never been more connected to others. Erica and I just recently made the leap to ‘unlimited texts’ so that we wouldn’t have to worry about going over our allotment each month. We can call, email or text anyone, practically any time. And yet many of us have never been more alone. Single, married, it makes no difference. The more people I talk to, the more I’m convinced that a very small percentage of us have anyone that we share everything with; both the good and bad stuff. To quote the book of James out of context, “my brothers, this should not be”. Take the risk. Find someone you can trust, and dare to be known. If you already have that person, thank God for him or her, and pray for those who aren’t there yet. Pray for me as I slowly head down this path myself.

And remember, even the Lone Ranger recruited a partner.

80’s Lyric

We mention the time we were together

So long ago, well I don’t remember

All I know is that it makes me feel good now

It’s like I told you

Only the lonely can play

– The Motels (1982)