Stuck in the Middle With You
Ben Roberts

What do you do when your carefully curated life is turned upside down?

Remarkably Bright Creatures explores that question through the lives of people who are quietly carrying loss, regret, loneliness, and unanswered questions. Tova, a widow whose life has been shaped by routine and grief, finds herself surrounded by people she did not expect to need. Cameron, adrift and uncertain, is searching for belonging and direction. Even Marcellus, the observant octopus at the heart of the story, sees what the humans around him often miss: we are not meant to make our way through life alone.

The answer, it turns out, is one word: community.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

When I reflect on my life over the decades, there have been several seasons when everything felt overwhelming. During those times, I often cried out to God to intervene. In my mind, there was no problem that couldn't be solved by a little divine, supernatural intervention.

My preferred solution was always simple: Let God fix it.

Yet, to date, none of my struggles have been resolved by dramatic miracles.

Why?

Because God had already provided the answer: the Church.

At every stage of my life, I have been sustained by the communities I found within the churches I attended.

As a child, I had a host of Sunday school teachers and faithful saints watching over me. As a teenager, my youth group friends helped me navigate adolescent struggles, often one plate of fries at Coco's Restaurant after Sunday evening church at a time. In my twenties, my TnT (Twenties and Thirties group) friends helped me stumble, lurch, and occasionally sprint toward becoming a functional adult.

Then came my forties.

I felt as though I had lost my faith. My life seemed utterly broken. Career plans had collapsed. Family health crises were constant. Bankruptcy from medical debt felt like it was waiting around every corner. I became clinically depressed. To add insult to injury, I developed a dependence on psychiatric medications. Most painfully of all, I could not find God.

Given my earlier experiences, you might think I would have leaned into the church.

Instead, I turned away.

But the church did not turn away from me.

It leaned in.

I was invited to join a small group called Imagine. Everyone in that group had, in one way or another, drifted away from faith. We shared our stories. We shared our doubts. We shared our wounds.

And little by little, we were transformed.

No miracles.

Just church people helping church people.

In 1 Corinthians 12:21-26, Paul describes the church as the Body of Christ. Every member matters. Every member is needed.

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ ... If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

That image has become increasingly meaningful to me over the years.

Life brings aches and pains to all of us. Sometimes they are the scraped knees of childhood. Sometimes they are the aching joints, broken dreams, or wounded hearts of adulthood. Whatever form they take, we do not bear them alone.

We are part of one Body, the Church.

God’s Church.

There may be seasons when we feel disconnected. We may experience periods of loneliness, doubt, or spiritual numbness. Yet the Body remains. The connection is still there, even when we cannot feel it.

As we move through life, the small groups, classes, ministries, and friendships that sustain us may change. There may even be times when we feel isolated and adrift.

But if we remain open, the Body has a remarkable way of finding us. God often reaches us through the people around us, helping us discover our place once again.

In Remarkably Bright Creatures, healing does not come through grand gestures or dramatic breakthroughs. It comes through small kindnesses, surprising friendships, honest conversations, and people showing up for one another when life has come undone. That is often how God works among us too—not always through miracles that dazzle, but through communities that endure, people who listen, and the steady grace of those who refuse to let us struggle alone.

We were never meant to follow Christ alone.

Prayer:
Lord, thank you for the gift of your Church. When we feel lost, remind us that we are part of something larger than ourselves. Help us find our place within your Body and faithfully live out the role you have given us. Open our eyes to those who are hurting, our hearts to those who are lonely, and our hands to those in need. May we help bring healing, hope, and wholeness to your people. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.