A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two men can stand back-to-back and conquer.

A faithful friend is a strong defense; and he that hath found him hath found a treasure.

The strength of the huddle

When I asked Mike what he missed most about pro football, I was surprised by his answer. He said it was getting into the huddle. You felt safe there, he said. It was where you could get direction, support, and correction. It was where you could regroup for the next phase of the battle, knowing 10 other guys were there to help you win.

Mike said the huddle was a real refuge during away-games in hostile stadiums, when, besides the team, they were fighting a negative environment. It was a place where they could return to for encouragement to keep going.

Every man needs a safe place to get what he needs to enter into life's conflict. If a man's going to surviveno, winthe battles of life, he must have a huddle of good men around him to cheer him on and bandage his wounds. He needs men who will celebrate with him in the good times and do whatever it takes to bring help and healing in the bad times.

The writer of Ecclesiastes paints a depressing picture of a man who strives to gain the whole world alone, then asks himself, "Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?" The writer concludes, "It is all so meaningless and depressing" (Ecclesiastes 4:8). How much better it is to go through life with a strong network of support. When you share your trials and triumphs with others, you soon realize that you're not alone. And somehow, when we stand together, life's challenges don't seem so daunting anymore.

Adapted from Men of Integrity Devotional Bible with devotions from the editors of Men of Integrity, a publication of Christianity Today International (Tyndale, 2002), entry for June 29.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House