Growing closer to the Lord? A million times yes!
Serving Him and spreading his love around the world? You don’t need to ask me twice!
Living in close community with strangers 24/7? Haha…wait a second…
When thinking about intimacy, community and mission, community was one of the focuses of the Race that was stressed more than I expected. Talking to past participants, they said community was the most challenging, and at training camp, living in community was a major topic in sessions.
Walking into the Race, I didn’t see what the fuss was about. I liked and got along with most people, and those who I struggled with, I limited interaction and forced smiles.
Well when it came time to be placed with our first teams, the six other people I would spend every waking hour with, I freaked out internally. I was placed with all girls, and only some of whom I felt like I was close with. Not only that, but I was team leader of a group that seemed so random placed together. For the first time, I was beginning to fear being with people because of what might come out in me.
However, I fought the spiritual fight going on in my heart and mind. While I was battling fears of disunity and my reactions toward people, I knew the Lord had whole and complete purposes in bringing us together. Other than saying “yes” to the Race, my first step of faith on this journey was laying down my expectations and understanding and submitting to His goodness and will.
Long story short, my experience with that community was extremely hard and beyond filling. More filling and fruitful than anything I had ever known with fellow believers.
Some had the same sense of humor, while others didn’t. Some wanted to cook exotic foods, while others were more selective. Some were passive aggressive, while others too blunt. Some never picked up issues, while others were quick to annoyance or anger.
But…
We all loved the Lord. We all wanted to serve and honor Him. We all wanted to grow. We all wanted to fight with and for one another. We all had the joy of the Lord. We all had our eyes fixed on Jesus.
And those commonalities transcended any conflict, big or small.
Growing up in the church, I’ve seen people breaking bread together, praying over one another, doing mission together, feeding one another and so much more.
But I’ve also seen the body divided, church members ripping apart pastors, people gossiping about one another during the week but then smiling at them on Sundays and the body nit-picking what they don’t like about the church without realizing they are the church. The list could unfortunately go on, and I have definitely been part of so many of these nasty attributes poisoning the body of Christ.
God gave us a “how-to guide” to living as the body of Christ, yet we so often disregard or don’t trust that what He says doesn’t come back void.
Jesus really meant “everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
So here are some scriptures on what it looks like to love one another:
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Ephesians 4:29-32
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
My flesh knows bitterness, slander and malice well. No one had to teach my those things. But spurring on others toward love and good deeds, consistently meeting together, building others up, forgiving someone… Now those things needed practice in my life.
I’m not saying I never did those things pre-Race, but they weren’t actively pursued or focused upon.
Luckily, my friends and I were in the same boat but not left to sink. To help us practice good and healthy community, we do daily things called team time and feedback.
Team time is simply intentional time spent together as a team. It’s anything from doing worship together to playing card games or singing karaoke.
Feedback sounds like it would be evaluation, but for us it’s been encouragement, confessing, calling each other out on things not reflective of Christ and telling each other the amazing God-given gifts and qualities we see in them. It’s a time to lay everything on the floor, good and ugly, and trust the believers around to stand by you and love you in your triumphs and shortcomings.
It is because of these things, these things that helped us walk out the Bible’s teachings, that my community has been the best kind of hard and unbelievably fruitful.
My teammates have told me the gifts of the Lord they see in me and how it has encouraged them in their walk. They’ve called me out on my pride and pushing of opinions. They’ve gently nudged me onward when I don’t feel like doing ministry. They’ve prayed with me. Listened to me. Sought to understand. Said yes to crazy adventures. Rejoiced with me in victories. Mourned with me when my heart breaks. Joined me in the things I care about. And all around, stood by me.
And on the flip side, I sought to be those things for them.
We have failed so many times. But it’s because of this community and the grace shown to one another that I have seen the grace of Jesus more clearly.
When I’ve been called out, it stings at first. When I treated a teammate poorly for weeks and was broken with conviction, I physically shook before confessing and asking for forgiveness. Because humility requires submission. The submission of self-protection, “I’m right,” and pride.
And through it all, there’s been love and grace. Things that are integral to living in unity as the body of Christ.
Despite any difference we may have, we agreed on choice. We agreed to choose each other, day after day.
When our body is healthy, God’s word comes to fruition…
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)
God is a Father who blesses the heck out of His children. And man, how full I’ve felt in this community. And even when I haven’t, they are still by me…
*A certain point gets its own little blurb. One of the biggest blessings and reasons for my strong community was the lack of gossip. It was a conscious choice we’ve fought to persist in. Whether there was annoyance, disagreement, dislike, whatever…we chose prudence. We chose Proverbs.
Gossip and complaining is a venomous poison we often don’t notice. Yet it tears apart the body of Christ more than anything I’ve seen before, because it spreads into a bitterness that defiles the heart that was intended to love. God knows we have the thoughts that lead to gossip, so He wants us to go to Him to confide, confess and ask for help. He’s the friend to talk to, yet He won’t offer cattiness. He gives wisdom and the heart we need to love and encourage.
