“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” That’s a quote from Helen Keller, and she understood something Apostle Paul knew well in his Roman prison cell. We need friends.

In 2 Timothy 4, the great apostle, church planter, theologian, missionary to nations, who seemed almost superhuman, begins to close his final letter with a very ordinary human request: “Do your best to come to me soon,” (v. 9). Demas had deserted him. Crescens, Titus, and Tychicus had been sent elsewhere for ministry. Only Luke remained with him. He asks Timothy to come see him soon and to bring Mark with him, along with his cloak and his books.

Beloved, God did not make us to do this life alone. We imagine ourselves completely self-sufficient and able to do it all on our own, but we need others. Paul wasn’t weak for wanting company. He was human. And so are we.

We all know what it’s like for life to get busy with a job, a family, and all the things in this season of life and just quietly assume we should be able to carry it all alone. You think, I just need to trust God more. But never forget that the same Paul who trusted God completely still wrote to his friends, “Do your best to come to me soon,” and would write a few verses later, “Do your best to come before winter.” Even the toughest among us still get cold, still get lonely, still need someone to sit with them.

So, beloved, don’t despise your own need for Lukes, Marks, and Timothys in your life, and don’t hesitate to ask them to come beside you. And as you look around at others, never forget they need you, too. May you go to them before they even have to ask.

The walk of life is always better with a friend!

Change begins in you!