Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
- 2 Corinthians 13:11
Sea otters spend most of their time in the water. It’s where they eat, sleep, hunt, mate, and give birth, where the majority of their life is lived. But of course, the sea is a dangerous, tumultuous place, and the otters can’t afford to let their guards down. So when they sleep, sea otters do something as unusual as it is adorable—they hold one another’s paws so that they won’t drift away from the group.
From that simple gesture the church can learn a great deal about unity and fellowship. Like the otters, believers live in a world which is often hostile, where there are no guarantees and plenty of risk. Trying to navigate the world while remaining true to Christ can be exhausting work, and it requires constant intentionality and purpose.
But for that reason, the Lord ensured that we would have brothers and sisters to walk through life with, fellow Christians who would share our victories, bear our burdens, and love us through it all. The church is more than a collection of like-minded neighbors, more than just a nonprofit organization, it is a family whose members encourage, protect, and pray for one another.
When you are struggling in life, one of the most common and most devastating feelings is that of loneliness. The prevailing sense in times of difficulty is that no one understands or cares what you’re going through, that your cross is yours to bear alone. Guided by the Spirit of God, may the church bring a different witness to the world, one in which no one is left behind. When they storms come, may they find us holding hands.
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