Day 9: You Weren’t Meant to Do Life Alone

One of the greatest things about the Bible is that we can see how Jesus lived and learn from Him. When you read the Gospels, one thing becomes very clear: Jesus didn’t do life on His own. He understood the value of close community. He had the crowds He preached to. He had a group He often traveled with. He had the twelve disciples. But even within the twelve, He had three He was especially close to: Peter, James, and John.

If Jesus didn’t do life alone, we definitely don’t want to try to muscle through it on our own.

From the very beginning, God knew it would be important for us to feel connected with others, to be part of a community. He said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). That wasn’t just about marriage. It’s how He wired us. 

But, I don’t think He just meant we were to have people around us, He meant we should have deep relationships. There is a difference between being in the same space as others and having real, authentic friendships. 

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the one about the paralyzed man on the mat and his friends. 

“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.”  Luke 5:18–19

Can you imagine having friends like that? Friends who believe the best thing they can do is bring you closer to Jesus. Friends who pray over you, challenge you, remind you of truth when lies creep in, lovingly hold you accountable, and ask, “How are you really?” and then actually listen.

This is especially important when it comes to learning to love yourself. There will be days when you miss a workout. Days when you say something you wish you hadn’t. Days when shame tries to get loud. And in those moments, isolation makes everything worse. When we pull back, the lies grow stronger. Our perspective gets skewed. Our struggles feel heavier.

But when we have mat-carrying friends, we have a safe place where we can find support, confess mistakes, and then pray together so we can reset without spiraling. 

You may be thinking, this is awesome, but how am I supposed to find friends like this?? There is a good chance it will take you out of your comfort zone. You can join a local Bible study or other women’s group, and then, after a few meetings, ask someone to go for coffee. It may be reaching out to a friend who doesn’t live near you and asking if they’d like to meet on Zoom. Pray and ask God to help you to get mat carrying people in your life.

I still remember when I first moved to Evergreen, Colorado. I had just started teaching workout classes at the local gym and barely knew anyone. There was one woman I’d passed by a few times and had a couple of brief conversations with, and then, on a bit of a whim, I invited her and her husband over for dinner.

Looking back, I can’t believe they actually said yes because they didn’t really know me at all. It was a bit awkward when I invited them to come over, but I’m so glad I did. That was 31 years ago, and we’re still close friends. 

I share this story with you because if you want to create friendships, it may mean doing something a bit awkward. 

Also, as important as it is to have mat-carrying friends in your life, it is also important to ask yourself, are you a mat-carrying friend to others? This is not always the easiest type of friend to be, but it is worth the effort. 

So here’s my hope for you today.

Ask God to bring the right people into your life. Take small steps toward connection. Be open. Be willing. Just start with one step. One conversation. One invitation. Community is often built in small, simple, intentional moments.

And remember, someone else may be waiting for you to help carry their mat too.

You were never meant to walk this journey alone.