Companion: a person who is frequently in the company of, associates with, or accompanies another
Many of us are constantly connected through social media, especially us Millennials. We keep connected through Facebook and Twitter, as well as a host of other social sites. It's the hip thing to do nowadays; if you meet someone new, you add them to your friends list. There is nothing wrong with this...it is good to be connected to others and have people to talk to frequently. However, it is my fear that when we are hyperconnected (i. e. have to stay in constant connection with several people via social media) that we neglect a simple, yet very important, thing...companionship. I feel that we get so focused on talking to all these different people all the time that we forget the importance of having a companion (or companions) that we can rely on...and that can rely on us.
Companions are frequently mentioned in Scripture, as well as in other instances in history. We have David and Jonathan...Paul and Silas...and in more modern times, people like Lewis and Clark. These were people who stuck by each other's sides in thick and in thin. It didn't matter how difficult things got...they were there for each other. The Scriptures speaks plainly on the importance of companionship. For example, Ecclesiastes 4:12 says "though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him--a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (ESV). We are all supposed to have companions in life...people we can turn to in any situation...people who will stand with us through the storms of life.
Even though it is very important that we have companions in life, it seems like fewer people and fewer people have them. Many people nowadays are so concerned with staying in touch with everyone that they neglect to build deep, lasting friendships with a few. It seems that people go to and fro, bouncing from person to person to person, without staying in one spot for a while so that they can get to know someone really well. In many cases, it seems like people are afraid to hang around long enough to get to know someone. It's like they're afraid that someone's going to let them down if they get too close, so they move from one person to another...knowing them on the surface, but nothing more. Not to seem rude, but that's not even a real friendship...it's more like an acquaintance. Acquaintances won't hang around, but real friends and companions will. Yes, people will let us down...even people that are close, but that is only because they are human, just as we are. However, true companions stick with each other, even when they let each other down or fail. Don't be afraid to get close to someone...they may be the companion that God has placed in your life to stand by your side in every circumstance.
