BOOK REVIEW: SIDE BY SIDE (EDWARD T. WELCH)
In Side by Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love, Ed Welch outlines how to be helpful to each other in Christian community. This book is extremely practical, almost to the point of oversimplification. However, in a culture that often lacks intimate interpersonal relationships, this level of step-by-step guidance is quite helpful for those who feel ill-equipped to know how best to love and serve the people in their lives. This book is a helpful guidebook for people who find it difficult to connect with others, whether because of their natural disposition, or from living in a society often devoid of deep interpersonal relationships.
The book begins by reminding us that we all need help, we are all sinners, and life is hard. Out of this realization, we can stop hiding, stop pretending, and start being vulnerable. Once we realize that we are needy ourselves, it is much easier to have a posture of compassion for others who are in need. If we see our biggest problem as our suffering, then our solution will be to avoid suffering and protect others from the same. However, if we look deeper and see our sin as our greatest problem, we can point ourselves and others to Jesus and accept his grace. Only after we acknowledge that we are needy, confess our sin before the Lord, and ask him for help, can we then properly seek the right kind of help from others.
Upon this foundation, the second part of the book outlines simple (but often not easy) ways for us to show those in our lives proper care and support. It starts with greeting one another warmly, engaging in meaningful conversation, enjoying each other, and sharing our stories. These things may come easy for some, but for many, having deep connections with others is not easy or intuitive. The steps and actions in this book are helpful for those of us who can struggle moving past superficial small talk into meaningful conversations. It is only from connecting with and getting to know people that we can learn about areas of need in their lives. We must learn to listen, ask good questions, and acknowledge what is important to them. Once this foundation is established, we can apply practical ways to show compassion, pray with and for people, and talk about sin.
By knowing and being known by others, we can help one another fight the sin in our lives. We all face sin and suffering, and God has provided other sinners to walk with us and help us through this life. In a culture that is too busy, distracted, and consumed with digital connection, Side by Side is a simple and highly practical book to help us grow in the type of deep relationships we need and desire. This is a great book to help us be the kind of church that God calls us to be.