The Bible often compares life to a walk—because life is a journey. We don’t sit still! Throughout the New Testament, we are told to walk in wisdom, love, light, and obedience. We’re told to walk as Jesus walked.

We’re also told to walk alongside other people through life. Here are three reasons you need to walk with other people:

It’s safer. Have you ever walked alone at night through a dark alley or down a lonely country road? It’s a little scary. But if you have another person with you, you feel safer. 

It’s supportive. Life is not a 50-yard dash. It’s a marathon. Walking with other people gives you the energy and encouragement you need to keep going until the end.

It’s smarter. You learn more by walking with others than by walking alone. If you’re walking alone in the wrong direction, you may never realize it. But if you have a friend beside you, one of you is likely to recognize that you’ve veered off the path and need to find the right direction. 

There are some important lessons you learn when you walk with other people. You learn how to get along and cooperate with others.

You also learn how to love. Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (NIV). God hates when you are lonely, and community is God’s answer to loneliness. When you walk with other people, you find a community where you learn how to love more like Jesus. 

Walking alongside other people also teaches hospitality. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:9, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (NIV). What’s your grumble? What’s your excuse for not opening your home to friends? 

Maybe you’ve said, “My home is dirty!” Your friends are more interested in spending time with you than they are your housekeeping skills—and they show grace. 

Or perhaps your excuse is, “My home isn’t big enough.” Can you put three people in it? Jesus says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20 NIV).

Everybody has a longing for belonging because God made us for relationships. When you walk alongside other Christians in community, you find that longing satisfied.