Community.
One of the most important and significant words to me. Tonight I was able to hang out with a group of friends from church. We laughed really hard, we yelled (playfully), we teased, and we also got to have some deep conversations about worship and mission trips. It made me realize how blessed I am to have such a community.
I realize that not everyone has a community like this; one where they are free to express themselves and open up to people they trust. That they may not have a group of solid Christian friends that they can be vulnerable and accountable to when they are in difficult seasons. I am so so grateful for these people; I do not know where I would be without them. But it is not just the people who make the community.
I believe that God has such a major role in the influence and creation of community; especially in the church. I know all of my greatest friends because of church; and God spoke into those people so that they could speak into me and I into them. God made our friendships; without Him I would not know any of these people.
Whether people do not have a community, or they have one, know that God is at the center of it. He puts specific people into your life for reasons and for seasons. He knows the literal number of hairs on your head; He can grant the most beautiful and personal relationships. But I know that if I did not step out in faith and obedience i would not know these people.
Half of them I met in my small group in church. I stepped out in the commitment to community and accountability to fellow Christians that God calls us to (“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” – James 5:16). The other half of the group I met on a short term mission trip I went on with them through my church. I followed the Lord’s call on my faith to share the love He gave me; to share His peace and His presence (“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” – Mark 16:15).
God is at the center of community. But you must be willing to seek out ways to find that community and step into it with the knowledge that He is already there; and to follow in obedience. For God does miraculous things when we are obedient to Him.
Worship: I Am Loved by Mack Brock /also/ Goodness of God by Bethel Music & Jenn Johnson
Verse: ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.’ – Proverbs 27:17
