Acts 14:21-28 NKJV

[21] And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, [22] strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” [23] So when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. [24] After they had passed through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. [25] Now, when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. [26] From there, they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. [27] Now, when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. [28] So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Words don't do justice to the amount of ground that was covered in these few verses. The traveling was hard. Even though they were all received by the Gentiles, Paul and his crew had run up against a lot of Jewish resistance. They were constantly on the go, sharing the Gospel and moving on again. I would imagine they experienced unimaginable levels of physical, mental, and spiritual exhaustion.

I find it interesting that God didn't design us to be "load-bearing" creatures. We are relatively frail in the grander scheme of nature. We weren't made to operate as lone wolves. We are referred to (many times) as sheep... social animals that are dependent on their shepherd and their flock for protection, care, and rest.

With the presence of the Holy Spirit, under God's grace and Christ's leadership, we have all we need to navigate our journey through this life. With active fellowship, we fall under the added blanket of encouragement and empowerment. Community is critical to our ability to battle exhaustion, survive trials, and endure hardships. The flock we are in is a gift from God to help us finish our race and finish it well.