Surviving, Thriving & Flourishing Together

Alright, come a little closer! I've got some big sister wisdom I want to share.

As we step into a new year, Genesis 1:26 still speaks with fresh urgency: “Let us make humankind in our image.” Before calendars, before resolutions, before hustle culture told us to handle everything on our own, God chose togetherness.

Community wasn’t God's afterthought. Community was God's design. And if that’s the design, then one of the most necessary pivots we can make this year is moving from isolated survival to relational living.

A lot of us were taught, directly or indirectly, that strength means silence, that maturity means handling it alone, that asking for help is a burden. But Scripture, Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells a different story. “Two are better than one” not because life is simple, but because life is heavy. And heavy things require shared hands. The new year doesn’t need another vow to “do more.” It needs a holy decision to connect more.

Isolation is dangerous, especially in seasons of transition. When you’re by yourself too long, your thoughts start sounding like facts. Fear grows louder. Discouragement goes unchecked. That’s why wisdom reminds us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). Sharpening requires proximity. You can’t sharpen iron from a distance.

Even Jesus didn’t walk alone. He gathered people, shared meals, and leaned on them in moments of deep anguish (Luke 22:39–46). If the Son of God needed community to endure his hardest season, why do we think we’re supposed to make it by ourselves?

So here’s the pivot for the new year: stop confusing isolation with peace. Pulling back for rest is healthy; cutting yourself off for protection can quietly become a prison. Community doesn’t mean everyone has access to you, but it does mean someone does. A circle. A table. A few safe voices who can remind you who you are when the world tries to wear you down.

Genesis shows us that the image of God is not just reflected in me, but in us—in shared wisdom, shared resistance, shared hope. Survival has always been communal. Our ancestors knew it. We are here because they leaned on one another when systems were stacked against them.

As you move into this year, ask yourself: Who do I need to walk with me? Where have I been isolating out of fear instead of choosing connection with intention?What would survival look like if I didn’t try to do it alone?

Beloved, community isn’t a bonus; it’s how we make it. And we’ve been doing it together since the very beginning.

Dr. Sherri The UnMuted One