Together Is Better

All I could think about was how tiresome it must be to bounce from house to house while ministering to people for 15 hours a day for two, to five, to seven, sometimes 10 days in a row. The introvert in me was dying to know how he does it. I couldn’t imagine. So I asked him.

“Why do you prefer to stay with host families when you travel for your speaking engagements rather than staying in a hotel? Don’t you find it exhausting? Do you struggle with the lack of privacy?”

His response stopped me dead in my tracks.

“It’s not that I ‘prefer’ this option,” he said. “It’s that I know it’s what Father would have me do. If we’re talking about personal choice and comfort, then yes, I would much prefer to stay in a hotel and I would much prefer my privacy. But I feel challenged with how Father calls me to live, so instead, I choose not to do what’s best for me.”

He went on.

“There are a lot of decisions in my life I could make out of personal preference and comfort, but I find that when I choose Father’s needs above my own, I learn so much more about what He’s doing in the world rather than focusing on what’s best for my own world.”

And just like that, God reminded me what life is all about.

—It’s Not About The Me; It’s All About The We—

We live in a culture of independence, individualization and quite often, isolation. We hear messages of “What would you prefer?” … “What makes you happy?” … and “You should do what’s best for you,” all the time. Everyday we’re encouraged through media, marketing and mouth-to-mouth, to fight for ourselves, put ourselves first, feel happy, find our purpose and tell our story. Rarely do we hear, “Lay yourself down,” “Do what’s best for your neighbor,” and “What about denying your own sense of comfort for once.”

Wayne’s story reminded me that together is better because that’s how Christ designed us to live – in community, as a family, as a body and of one heart, mind and soul.

Life is not about you or me and living our lives only for ourselves; it’s about we – The us. The togetherness. Joined. Unified. Shoulder to shoulder and side by side.

Christ Himself did not come to be served, but to serve.

All too easily we get caught up with what our lives are about, what’s going on in our worlds and what are schedules and agendas are dictating.

But Christ lived his life completely opposite to this selfish mindset and mode of operation.

He laid His life down.
He modeled mentorship.
He spoke of discipleship.
He lived in community.
He walked in belonging.

And He showed us how togetherness can be found around a simple table because we are better together.

Or for comparison sake …

What is salt without pepper?
Who is Tom without Jerry?
Where would Bono be without The Edge?
Can there be wine without cheese?

And think about all the other power combo’s out there:

Sonny and Cher
Hamburgers and fries
Pizza and pop
Han Solo and Chewbacca
Peanut butter and jelly
Scooby Doo and Shaggy
Mario and Luigi
Lennon and McCartney
Simon and Garfunkel
Movies and popcorn
Fish and chips
Milk and cookies
Nachos and Salsa
Ben and Jerry’s (can I get an amen?)

Point is, it’s simple. In the same way bacon is so much better with eggs, we too are better together. We may go faster and have more control as islands living only for ourselves, but we’ll go further and with more fulfillment with the help of love, growth and support that can come only from a team.

Together is better and a life centered in and on Christ always points to purpose that’s less about me and more about we.

“You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts – limbs, organs, cells – but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body.”
—1 Corinthians 12:12

How This Guide Works

Together is Better is a daily reading challenge and a daily action challenge.

It’s an opportunity to gather, to connect, to initiate and to encourage the spirit of community in your corner of the world by creating more opportunities for togetherness. Whether through conversation, gathering, or acts of service and love, you’ll discover that living your life with the mentality together is better will naturally cause you to share yourself and your life with anyone and everyone around you. In turn, you’ll be drawn to moments that are less about the me and more about the we.

In this eguide you’ll find 20 days of readings and practical steps.

Daily Quote
Daily Story
Daily Scripture
Daily Action
Daily Focus
Daily Question
Daily Reflection

Each insight and nudge is geared towards helping you see that living life in togetherness is better and what a lifestyle of community can look like for you and your life. How it plays out is all in how much (or how little) you engage.

Let’s get started.

Welcome to Together is Better.