You Are Not Alone

Imagine you are still a kid in school… You may remember thinking, “Rules = No Fun.” Adults sometimes feel similarly when they can’t do whatever they want. Christians can have a particularly bad rap for imposing boring and bossy rules that squeeze all the fun out of life!

We have a bit of a dicey relationship with rules. On one hand, we feel that they are restrictive and keep us from really living… but as soon as someone breaks a rule that is meant to protect us, our feelings shift. Of course there have been rules that are unfair and don’t have people’s best interest in mind, but when the rule-giver is trustworthy and loving and omniscient and omnipresent, like our ONE true God and Father, we can trust that the rules are for our good.

And what is this “good” that God wants for us? It is to be in relationship with him and with one another. We are not meant to be all alone in this life. Relationships have been the basis for all Ten Rules we have been hearing about in Relationships: Teen Zine vol. 4, which says, “The Ten Rules came to us, not so that we would have another checklist, but so that humanity would know God wants us to be connected to him and to one another.” (p. 262)

So this last commandment about coveting has the same goal in mind: to foster relationships and not divide us from each other based on what we have or do not have. Relationships: Teen Zine vol. 4 says this:

“The thing about wanting what other people have is that it gets in the way of your relationships… It’s like a wall you wish you could remove so that you can be a real friend.” (p. 252)

Jesus tells a parable about coveting and loneliness in the book of Luke: A rich man has so much abundance that he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. He stores up his riches and then says something like, “Self, you are all set. Now you can eat, drink, and be merry for many years.” But that very night he dies. The sad part of that parable is that there is no one else there to share life with him, and no one to mourn when he is gone.

Our selfish tendency is to continually seek more for ourselves and build up our own barns. We don’t want to be dependent on anyone else. Independence and self-sufficiency are highly valued in our world. This rich man in the parable is an extreme example of someone who lives only for themselves and is successful in the eyes of the world, yet neglects what makes life meaningful and whole.

Let’s go back a bit and remember why Jesus was telling this parable in the first place. It was in response to a demand from someone in the crowd, who said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me” (Luke 12:13). Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the rich man, and in doing so communicates to this disgruntled sibling that there are worse things than getting less of the inheritance… there could be no relationship with his brother at all!

Jesus says, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you” (Luke 12:14)? It’s ironic for Jesus to refuse to judge them because he is the only one who is worthy to judge anyone. Yet he chooses not to. What would have happened if he had gone to the brother and forced him to divide the inheritance with the man? Would that have strengthened their relationship with each other? Would love and care be kindled between them, or would it only lead to more discontent and loneliness?

In this story, Jesus shows that rules on their own are not what bring love into our relationships. The Ten Rules are meant to help us live in harmony with God and with one another, but when we fail, we have a loving Savior who cares more about us than about fairness. If Jesus’s first priority was justice and rule following, he would not have died for us unworthy rule-breakers in order to renew a right relationship with us.

God did not intend for us to go through life alone. He puts his relationship with us before all else, and he leads us by his Spirit to lift up one another as well. In the closing pages of Relationships: Teen Zine vol. 4, we are reminded of this truth….

“God knows we all need one another. This life is too hard and lonely if we try to make it on our own. We need people who will love us and pray for us through the ups and downs.” (Teen Zine vol. 4, p. 263)

Dear God, thank you for never leaving us alone. We struggle at times in our relationships, but we know that you bring restoration and healing. Thank you for the people you have placed in our lives. Help us to love one another well, just as you first loved us. Amen.