Together Is Better

 With nearly 60,000 square miles of terrain and almost 280,000 miles of paved roads, Georgia is a big state. I've traveled many of these roads over the past six months, including countless two-lane highways of asphalt running through wheat fields and pine forests, connecting one rural community to another.

While meeting with folks in towns all over Georgia, I'm amazed by how rich our state is in terms of resources, industry, and diversity. Agriculture is Georgia's oldest and largest industry (dating back to 1733!), and our state continues to be the top producer of peanuts, eggs, and broilers in the nation. While agriculture is extremely important, many other industries are equally important to contributing to a gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $628 billion.

Ellijah is known as the Apple Capital of Georgia, and Alma is recognized as our Blueberry Capital. In the southwest part of our state, Bainbridge is called the Bass Capitol, and Dalton is often referred to as the Carpet Capital of the World.

In 1973, former Gov. Jimmy Carter started the Georgia Film Commission after Deliverance, a Burt Reynolds movie, was filmed in the north Georgia mountains of Rabun County. A few years later, Smokey and the Bandit was filmed in the Jonesboro area, and in 1989, Driving Miss Daisy was filmed throughout Atlanta. These movies helped create the momentum for Georgia to ultimately be designated as the Film Capital of the World.

Although these are only a sampling of the industries that make our communities special, when combined, they make our state an important contributor and very strong player in the U.S. economy. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, we are told the importance of working together:

"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."

Commentaries on this passage explain that when individuals work together, their efforts become much stronger and increase the chance for success. Also, working together minimizes disorder and fosters harmony.