“It is not good that man should be alone.” Genesis 2:18 (NKJV)

You can't become all God wants you to be without other people in your life.

In fact, the very first thing God said after he created Adam was this: “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18 NKJV). God isn’t just talking about marriage in this verse. It’s simply not good for any of us to do life on our own.

I've heard people say that complete independence is the key to happiness. But after counseling thousands of people, I can tell you that’s nonsense. Complete independence from other people is not happiness. It’s loneliness. And the quickest way to make yourself miserable, resentful, fearful, and insecure is to pretend that you don't need anybody else in your life.

You need others—particularly a church family—to walk with you through life. A physical family doesn’t always stay together. They grow up, move away, and, sadly, sometimes even split up. But a spiritual family, the church, will last forever.

Here are three reasons you should walk in community with other believers:

It’s safer. There's safety in numbers. It's less risky. Have you ever had to walk through a dark alley at night by yourself? It feels a lot better when you have other people with you! When going through dark times, it's safer to walk with others who can encourage you and pray with you. The Bible says, "In the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14 NKJV).

It’s supportive. It keeps you from giving up. If you've ever prepared for a marathon, you may have been tempted to quit because you reached a plateau in your training. But when you run with other people, they keep you moving toward your goal and give you support.

It’s smarter. The Bible says, "Only fools would trust what they alone think" (Proverbs 28:26 CEV). If you're walking alone, you might be walking in the wrong direction. But when you walk with other people, you learn how to listen, how to get along, and how to learn.

God created community as an antidote to loneliness. When you do life with your church family, you can battle discouragement and fatigue, knowing you have a circle of support to walk with you.