Samuel Coleridge Water, water, everywhere

"A Thirst For Companionship"

 

"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink!"  Samuel Coleridge

wrote those words at the end of the 18th century in his poem, "The

Rime Of The Ancient Mariner".  The poem is a chronicle of a long ocean

voyage filled with mysteries and danger.  At one point the ship lies

in a dead calm and drinkable water is nowhere to be found.  The thirst

of the sailors is a cruel irony as the vessel sits atop millions of

gallons of water.

 

There is another thirst within most of us, a desire to find

companionship.  One would think such a quest to be simple; there are,

after all, billions of people who inhabit this planet.  Almost all of

us live in communities where large gatherings of people can be found

easily.  Sporting events, shopping malls or department stores, or the

local park are places where other people commonly congregate.

 

We're not looking, though, for large numbers of people.  We're looking

for just a few who share common views, whose personality is compatible

with our own.  We often look upon the multitudes as the thirsty

sailors looked at the saltwater beneath them: Yes, it's there, but

it's not what I need.

 

Adam was surrounded by life in the Garden of Eden.  The Lord had made

to pass before him all of the animals He had created, but "there was

not found a helper comparable to him" (Genesis 2:20).  The need was

obvious to the Creator: "It is not good that man should be alone ..."

(Genesis 2:18).  Eve, the first woman, was the solution.  She was the

"helper comparable to him".

 

Ruth felt she had found a true companion in her mother-in-law Naomi.

Though Naomi urged the young lady to return to her own family after

the death of Naomi's son, Ruth would not hear of it: "Entreat me not

to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever

you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people

shall be my people, and your God, my God" (Ruth 1:16).  Many have felt

envy that Naomi had such a devoted companion for the rest of her life.

 

More famous than Ruth was her great-grandson David.  The one who would

become the second king of Israel found a faithful companion in

Jonathan, son of Israel's first king: "... the soul of Jonathan was

knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1

Samuel 18:1).

 

Is it possible for us to find such trustworthy companions?  Yes, said

the wise man: "... there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother"

(Proverbs 18:24).  Where, though, do we find such friends?

 

Paul gave the answer; true and genuine companionship can be found in

Christ's body, the church.  "... holding fast to the Head, from whom

all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments,

grows with the increase that is from God" (Colossians 2:19).  In

Colossians 3:14 Paul again pointed to Christian fellowship: "But above

all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."  In

Christ's body we find the potential for the strongest relationships of

all.

 

Don't expect perfect relationships, not even in the Lord's church.

But if you're looking for people with whom you can bond, the church

has been designed for just such friendships.

 

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him

in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you'd like

to discuss these ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall.