Never Alone - Part 5

I remember sitting in various waiting rooms as a kid, thumbing through magazines, usually the sports magazines. In nearly everyone, there was this icon: The Marlboro Man. He was a cowboy. He was rugged. This man could survive anything, anywhere, anytime. He was the man. He was the icon of the American spirit: the rugged individual. He didn't need anyone else. If he had his rope, horse, and (of course) a Marlboro, he could take on the world, and win without breaking a sweat. I used think he was the coolest. I wanted to be like him.

As I was preparing to read the second part of Never Alone, the updated version of Brother Lawrence's Practicing the Presence of God, I was thumbing through that section. I noticed something interesting. Brother Lawrence ends many of the letters with the statement: "Belonging to God, I belong to you."

That is the antithesis of the rugged individual. That is not what the Marlboro man stood for. The Marlboro man belonged only to himself. Brother Lawrence is saying that he belonged to others. He belonged to the person to whom he addressed the letter.

I think, American Christianity has become "Marlboro man" Christianity. We are lone rangers often in our journey with God. There is nothing wrong with an individual, personal journey, but there is more to the Christian life than running alone. We often use the phrase, "That's between me and God." I don't think that is what the Christian life is all about. Certainly, I have to deal with God as an individual, but I must also deal with him through the Body of Believers.

Groups give us several things that we cannot gain on our own:

• Accountability: Others keep us on track in our walk with God.
  
• Encouragement: When things get tough, we can lean on our brothers and sisters.
• Protection: There is always safety in numbers.

The Christian life is not the life of rugged individualist; it is the life of fellow traveler.