(Today’s article was inspired by a video and article I read Friday morning)[i].

Talk about an oxymoronic title. The epitome of isolation and loneliness connected with what should be the exact opposite of alone.

You may disagree with my choice of titles, but chances are, you were taught to be a “lone wolf” just like me. From childhood, most of us were taught that all we needed to succeed in life was hard work and determination. We were conditioned to believe that we did not need anything or anyone else to attain our goals in life. We were raised to be lone wolves in life, in work, and perhaps most importantly; in our faith.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that our parents did the best they could with the information and training they had. How could they have known that they were creating a generation of people who would cast off all personal connections and go it alone? We live in a time when connections to friends and family are all but non-existent. When connections to our faith and church have eroded to the point that the average person doesn’t attend church services. I was shocked to learn that 75% of our entire population doesn’t attend church services.

The problem with all this is that it is anti-Christian and designed to fail. Reality dictates that the lone wolf can survive as long as everything goes his way (which is a rarity), but, as soon as winter comes, and life gets hard, he will starve to death. The pack survives and thrives while the lone wolf flounders in the anguish of starvation and loneliness.

I honestly believe this was just a part of Satan’s plan to destroy us. You cannot destroy a people until you separate them from each other. A lone wolf cannot survive through the hard times of life and becomes more susceptible to sin and distractions. With no God, no faith, no family, no friends, no accountability, or authority in life; we will fail. It is inevitable. Thus, we chase after that elusive rabbit until die from exhaustion and starvation.

God never intended for us to be alone. He gave us a church and family to be a part of to ensure we are never alone through the winter of life.

God never intended for us to learn about faith and our gifts without the guidance of other men and women of God. Without the church, we never learn the fullness of faith and what it can be; so, we settle for whatever we have and wonder why we are unhappy.

God never intended for us to be the sole source of authority in our lives. We need the church; preachers, elders, and members to help keep us in line. He gave us a bible and other men and women to help attain true faith and Christianity. Without the church, we settle for something that looks like the real thing but is a cheap imitation.

[i] Friday morning, as I prepared for the day and was reading through my email’s. I encountered an unusually insightful article and video. As I watched it I realized that I had to share some of my personal thought with you about it. I did not copy the article verbatim, but the idea was inspired by them, thus, they should get credit. If you want to see the video or read the original article you can find the link on our website (https://centralhaywoodcoc.com/articles) under the article “Dear Millennial – Article.”