There is great freedom in doing our own thing. The opinions and expectations of others fall away and we’re free to accomplish the tasks before us. But life as a lone ranger can also leave us dull and ineffective.
God has given us each a personal and individual call for our life. But just as our group membership comes with benefits and risks, going at the tasks of life alone is also a mixed bag of blessing and burden.
Blessing of Individuality
We are God’s masterpiece – and not just us collectively, but each of us individually. And as such, we each uniquely have something to reveal of God’s infinite goodness.
We get to bless others by offering them our very selves. And we don’t have to wait on group consensus or a popularity vote to do so.
God in his very creation of us has given us all the permission we need to freely pour ourselves into the lives of others.
But all too often we diminish the fullness of our individual strength by hiding behind groupthink and letting the group speak for us.
Burden of Individuality
While we get to freely bless others as individuals, there is danger in doing life as a lone ranger.
For example, no one has our back when we go at it alone. And without others there is no one to help refine us into a better version of ourselves.
We all have blind spots, but connecting intimately with others allows us to watch out for each other. They will see things that we miss.
And an intimate community also allows others to challenge and refine us – iron sharpening iron. Resistance is initially frustrating, but in the end it makes us better men.
The lone ranger ultimately remains dull and ineffective in his life and relationships.
We are our own man, crafted by God to accomplish his unique call for our life.
But in our individuality we must also avoid life as a lone ranger.
Freely offer all that God has created you to be and stay connected to your community. Together you will bring an abundance of life and goodness into the world.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
