You Are Meant for Community, Not Isolation - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - October 18

You Are Meant for Community, Not Isolation
By Keneesha Saunders- Liddie

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

When I was a little girl, I went to my Sunday school’s annual picnic. We were at the beach and I loved the water, even though to this day I can’t swim. After getting permission from my mom to go into the water, I decided to walk as far out as I could go. I was enjoying the water up to my neck when all of a sudden, I realized that I had somehow stepped into a hole of some sort. My foot wasn’t finding the bottom of the sandy ground.

Time stood still, my body went numb. The water was covering my lips and I was sinking. Then, out of nowhere, I felt someone grab my hand and pulled me out of the sinkhole. My feet were on solid, albeit sandy, ground again.

My friend, without even realizing what she had done, rescued me. We got some goggles and looked from afar at the hole. I didn’t go back in for the rest of the day.

Two Are Better Than One

There are so many reasons why we choose to isolate ourselves from friends, family, and our community, but I am here to remind you that two is better than one.

As an adult, attending women's retreats and fellowship events is so uplifting to me. When I am around older women who share my faith and I listen to their testimonies and stories, I stand amazed at my God. There are those who forsake this fellowship for various reasons, but it is always best to have someone in your corner.

We need community because we are sinners. We are all prone to sin and make mistakes, and this is where community comes in. Today it may be my turn and tomorrow it may be yours, but once we have an arena where fellowship can abide without discrimination and bias that is all we need.

We need community because we are lonely. Praying one for another is how we can combat loneliness. Do you know of anyone in the need of prayer right now? Why don’t you give them a call, I’m sure that at some time in the future when they hear of a struggle you are facing that they will call and pray for you too. The start of a prayer partnership can be established and developed.

We need community because we need encouragement. There are times when we have to encourage ourselves in the Lord but there are situations when we need encouragement from others. Our key verse reminds us that there is much benefit to be had when two people work together. Since we are Christ laborers let us work together for the advancement of his kingdom.

As women we have a choice, we can either fall and remain there without anyone to help us up, or we can fall and be helped immediately and do the same for others. We are meant for community not isolation.

At the end do you want to go to Jesus alone or do you want to bring others with you?

At the end do you want to have lived selfishly or generously?

Would you want to be known for being helpful or refusing to help?

Keneesha Saunders-Liddie is a writer, avid reader and Jesus lover. She recently started a blog to encourage women to show Christian love to others and to share biblical counsel with anyone who needs it. She firmly believes that the bible has the answers to everything that pertains to life. She is a wife, mother and student. You can connect with her on Facebook and Pinterest.

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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.

Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.

Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.

I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!