That’s a flawed analogy Nateman. Using that same logic, you could also argue that ordinary hydrogen, in what you think is the lowest ground state, cannot share its electron and, thus, combine with other elements to form compounds. But, of course, it can and so too can a hydrogen atom in a lower energy state.
When hydrogen combines with oxygen the overall energy state becomes lower. That's why it releases heat and why it takes energy to break up the molecule. The stable state , water, is once again the lower energy state.
The only elements where the energy states of individual atoms are chemically at their lowest are the noble gases.(The electron shells are full).This is also why you don't usually find hydrogen all by itself but instead as two hydrogens bonded to each other.
It is this property of incomplete electron shells that makes chemistry possible.