The Buddy System

By Sarah Teichmann

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other—Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

There are some quotations and Bible passages that spring into my mind and stay for a while. Does that ever happen to you? Perhaps it is a passage that gives you comfort or has struck your imagination in an interesting way. For me, it’s the Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 passage. Its message lifts up the importance of friendship and relationships. We need each other.

It goes back to the buddy system! Do you remember being a young child and being told to go somewhere with a buddy? The two of you were responsible for each other. You would watch out for your buddy and your buddy would watch out for you, too. I have learned that one never outgrows the need of the buddy system. The truth is that regardless of our age and place in life we need a buddy.

I like to go rock climbing—I mostly have experience in a gym setting with a rock wall stretching vertically forty to fifty feet in the air. Though I am climbing to perilous heights I am kept safe by my climbing buddy. They are on the ground, anchored to the floor, holding a rope that is attached to my climbing harness. Through the arduous climb I know that I am supported by my buddy. I know that if I fall I am not in danger—my buddy will lift me up. One does not pick a climbing buddy arbitrarily. You need someone who will watch your movement and who knows your strengths and weakness. I’ve realized that good climbing buddies have helped me grow and become stronger. Sometimes I will be twenty feet up on the wall and I will feel stuck or too weak to climb any further, but a good climbing buddy will offer encouragement or support. They take part in my celebration when I have conquered a difficult section and they offer advice when I need it.

Our faith life is similar to climbing. Often we are hard at work in our routines, our lives, and our responsibilities. We yearn for relationships that offer support, trust, and love. In faith, we need buddies to support us through prayer, kindness, love and action. We are called by God to support each other so that when one falls the other may lift them up.

Who have you encouraged? Who are your buddies? Have you talked to them lately? Have you prayed for them lately? I encourage you to take some time out and support your buddy in God’s love!