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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.—2 Corinthians 1:3–4
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The worst kind of loneliness for me is being surrounded by people and yet still feeling utterly alone. ... The world is spinning, people are connecting, music is playing, and there I am in the middle of it all—smiling on the outside but crying on the inside. …
Never have I understood this feeling more than when I’ve hit rough seasons in my life but didn’t know who to turn to for help. Because I wasn’t sure what to say or who was safe to talk to, I just walked through my days pretending to connect with others … but feeling so very isolated.
I’m astounded by the number of [people] who feel the same way. They’ve slipped me notes in person or through social media that admit how very alone they feel, often because of hurt they haven’t been able to talk about or process.
[We can become] so consumed with hurt and so convinced it will never get better that we miss one of God’s greatest gifts: God made us to do life in a community of believers where we can stand on someone else’s faith when our own gets shaky. These are people who can help us see hope amid our hurts. Friends who pray more words over us than they speak to us. Fellow journeymen who can share their testimonies of heartbreak-turned-healing so we don’t get swallowed up by the pain of our similar circumstances.
We need each other.
God designed us to help each other. … Throughout the Bible, we see our need for each other clearly communicated.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). …
Who do you need to share your tears with? Who needs to know they aren’t alone?
I know how hard it is to open up about our deepest disappointments. I understand how terrifying vulnerability can be. But I also know there’s someone else in the world who would drown in their own tears if not for seeing yours. And when you make one other human simply see they aren’t alone, you make the world a better place. …
Father God, I’m so grateful You don’t waste any of my tears. I want to take these lessons I’m learning in my brokenness and use them to help someone else feel less alone, less broken, less hopeless. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Lysa TerKeurst1
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“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). We are to sharpen one another—in times of meeting, fellowship, or any other interaction.
The proverb indicates the need for constant fellowship with one another. Man was not made to be alone, for did not the Lord God say this, even before the Fall (Genesis 2:18)? How much more, then, after the Fall of Man, do we need to come together with our brothers and sisters in Christ for seasons of fellowship and prayer? ...
The Lord Himself promised—where two or more are gathered in His name, there He is among them (Matthew 18:20). … Iron sharpening iron is an opportunity to fulfill the Law of Christ. … This is the same “royal law” mentioned in James 2:8, where we are exhorted to love one another. ... Let us therefore be encouraged to spend more time together, exhorting, encouraging, praying, admonishing, sharing God’s Word, praying over God’s Word and the needs of our local church, that we become sharper in the ministry that the Lord has assigned to each of us.—GotQuestions.org2
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“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24–25).
With all the technology we have today, we are more connected than we’ve ever been in human history. At the same time, we are more disconnected than we’ve ever been. I read recently that Millennials would rather text other people than speak with them personally. So sometimes we don’t talk to each other at all.
Someone has said, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, thinking together is unity, working together is success.”
God has given every Christian gifts from the Holy Spirit. These are not necessarily talents, which are the natural abilities we are born with. These are gifts that are supernaturally given to us from God—spiritual gifts.
We find these listed in Romans 12:6–8: “If God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
We believers need to put down our phones and talk together, pray together, and work together because we are all part of the body of Christ. We are all part of the church. We are all part of the family of God. We have to find our places in the body of Christ and do the jobs that God has called us to do.—Greg Laurie3
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In our life for the Lord and service to Him we have learned that He wants us to give of ourselves. However, truly caring for others takes time and effort, prayer, and continued interest. Time is precious, and when we show our willingness to take our time to help another person, it can have a profound impact—whether you put your time into prayer, or thinking about what kind of appreciation you can offer, or what you can do to help another person in practical ways that they need and appreciate. Whatever the Lord might show you to do, it will not go unnoticed. Even small acts of kindness can have a big impact on someone’s life.—Maria Fontaine
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A worker was employed at a frozen fish factory. One day, while doing his job, he accidentally closed the refrigerator door while he was inside. He began shouting for help, but the workday had ended, and no one was left in the factory. Realizing this, he understood he was about to freeze to death.
However, at some point, the factory guard opened the refrigerator door and saved him from a terrible and certain death.
The factory manager asked the guard:
“How did you know the worker was still inside and hadn’t left?”
The guard replied:
“None of the workers ever greets me except for him. He always smiles at me and asks how I’m doing. That day, at closing time, I neither saw nor heard him. I knew—I was sure—he was still in the factory, so I searched for him until I found him.”
The worker’s kind words ended up saving his life. Kindness leaves an imprint on minds and hearts, melts even ice, opens iron doors, and can save lives.—Author unknown
Published on Anchor December 2025. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music by Michael Fogarty.
1 Lysa TerKeurst, “Your Tears Aren’t Wasted … Especially When They’re Shared With Others,” Proverbs 31, December 26, 2024, https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2024/12/26/your-tears-arent-wasted-especially-when-theyre-shared-with-others
2 “What does it mean that iron sharpens iron?” GotQuestions.org, https://www.gotquestions.org/iron-sharpens-iron.html
3 Greg Laurie, “Why Christians Need Each Other,” Harvest.org, April 26, 2019, https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/why-christians-need-each-other/
