5 Reasons You’ve Gotta Have People

“I want to be with my people.”

Jessica, my youngest daughter (second from left), often told me she just wanted to be with her people when she was at college in Idaho. In the middle of all the struggles with roommates and other challenges of college life, she felt that being with her people—her family—would comfort her and give her strength to continue on.

I believe God planned for us to live in families so we would have people to take care of us. People we belong to and who belong to us. But, even a family has to rely on other people for help.

Take, for example, our churches and our schools. These can provide additional support to the family, and we can find people in these communities to mentor members of our family in ways we’re not able to.

My sister-in-law Sue was in high school when she joined a 4-H group. 4-H is an organization devoted to helping young people realize their full potential. Sue wanted to learn how to sew, but no one in her family knew how to sew well enough to teach her. Her 4-H leader, Mrs. Gibson, recognized her potential and provided encouragement and support, even sitting with her at home as she worked on a difficult sewing project. Sue went on to win awards for her sewing at the local and state fairs. Without someone like Mrs. Gibson in her life, Sue may not have learned that sewing was a hobby she’d enjoy and that she could excel at.

5 Reasons You’ve Gotta Have People

Together you can…

1. …engage in conversations and activities related to your common interests.
2. …encourage each other to improve and learn more.
3. …support one another during setbacks and discouragement.
4. …help each other remain accountable for goals and deadlines.
5. …motivate each other to show up and keep going.

Your Healthy Living People

I created Lean on Me: Healthy Living because I know we will be more successful at living a healthier life when we work on it together. “We all need somebody to lean on,” is not just a line from a song, it is a universal truth that is basic to our success.¹ Human beings need a sense of community. We need a place where we belong. We need our people!

I love working on this blog. And I love reading and responding to your comments. You help me keep going. You’re my healthy living people. Thank you for being here and joining in with your comments and ideas. We need each other.

¹ “Lean on Me” written and recorded by singer-songwriter Bill Withers in the 1970s

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