If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?

Matthew 5:47 (NLT)

 

God acknowledges our need for friendship, community, and connection from the very beginning of Genesis. While we can survive eating alone, we cannot thrive without companionship, love, and mutual support. With loneliness becoming the new public health epidemic of our time, many people feel alienated and disconnected despite being well-connected to everyone through social media and chat groups.

This disconnection or detachment leads to a reluctance of reaching out and pursuing new and healthy relationships. This is why lonely people are more likely to become addicted, isolated, and unhappy. However, with healthy friendships, community, and connection, we can grow resilience against loneliness and unhealthy habits, as well as build support networks to stay strong.

As followers of Jesus, we are to intentionally welcome and love everyone, even if it is not reciprocated or recognised. We are not called only to care for those we find lovable, but also for those with whom we differ and do not understand. This extraordinary degree and expression of love originates with God, and when we love others as He loves us, we are imitating God, as His well-beloved children.

Learn to see others as God sees them. This frees us from undue biases, prejudices, and unhealthy generalisations. While we must protect ourselves against people with malicious intent, we remain wise and loving to everyone, even those who do not deserve it. This means that the church is more than a gathering place for events or common projects, it is a living community where love, forgiveness, and acceptance abounds.