WE....because ME doesn't work so well

I was recently given a course of action to take by an authority figure.  In my generation, authority figures are important.  Doctors and lawyers and police officers...you don't question them...you just follow them.  Period.  So, I did.  And, at least in my eyes, it wasn't working so well.  So, I did what any red-blooded, 21st Century man would do...I consulted the Internet. Wow, everyone has an opinion and the Internet is where most people go to share them.  Many of them sound very qualified, but seldom list their qualifications.  

Here's what I discovered: Opinions are like buttocks.  Everyone has one, and most of them stink.  Hope that wasn't offensive.  Just an observation.

So, I asked my wife.  (Smart) But, I soon realized she likes me.  Not that that's a bad thing.  It's a GREAT thing.  I hope she keeps up the good work. (GO WIFE!)  However, when looking for a truly objective opinion, sometimes the person who loves you most and only wants the best for you and certainly doesn't want you to experience any discomfort can be a little too close to the situation to be totally objective.  So, here I am, with an authority figure saying, "Go this way" and a wife saying, "Go that way", and me, in the middle going nowhere fast.  

That's when I thought of a couple of dear friends.  They had experience.  They had expertise.  They were objective.  Heck, they even liked me.  So, I took a chance, asked if I could visit with them, laid out my case and said, "What would you do if you were me?"  Then, I sat back and listened.  They were objective, wise, compassionate, thorough and and unbelievably helpful.  I had walked in with all kinds of confusion and mixed emotions.  I walked out confident and clear.  I knew the course of action I needed to take and was completely at ease with taking it.  I had walked in paralyzed with fear of making a wrong decision and taking a wrong course of action.  I walked out in peace and confidence and with a clear-cut plan of action.

I wonder if that's the reason the Bible uses the term "one-another" over and over and over again?  You can't fulfill all the "one-anothers" and live in a vacuum.  God, I believe, is trying to make one thing perfectly clear:  WE WERE NEVER INTENDED TO DO LIFE ALONE.  However, our tendency is to do just that.  I know, some of you are thinking, "I like people.  I like to hang out with my friends.  I love a party".  That's great...but, I think you may be missing the point.  It's not about how many people are in your contact list or are Facebook friends.  It's about how many people you are actually, honestly and openly sharing the depths of your life with.  That's a totally different animal.

The average American's relationships are basically a mile wide and an inch deep.  We go for quantity rather than quality.  We keep things pretty much at the surface level.  To go a mile deep, you can't go very wide.  It's impossible to have 100's of deep, meaningful intimate relationships.  But, you can have a few.  In fact, you must have a few.  

Can you name them?  People that you can share any and every part of your life?  People that you actively DO share the parts of your life that you share with no one else?  Not just the good stuff...but, the messes as well.  People that know who you really are and love you IN SPITE  of who you are and not BECAUSE of who you are?  Can you call their names?  These are the inch-wide and mile-deep relationships.  If you have them, you're in the minority.  But, if you have them, you are truly blessed.  

Maybe you should tell them that today.  And, if you don't have them, maybe it's time to start digging.