The Lord really put it on my heart to share about my squad which is hard for me to do because I just can’t really put into words how amazing these people are. I seriously wish each of you could see this squad and experience it all, even just for a moment, because you would instantly feel their love for you and their love for God. These are people that are serious world changers and KINGDOM BRINGERS. 

Never have I met more people my age that are so on fire and eager to know, see, & hear more from the Lord. These people hunger for His Word like I’ve never seen before. They inspire me every day and encourage me in my desire to want to look more like Christ. 

As we were worshipping under the pavilion the other night, God just told me to open my eyes and to look all around me. What I saw was my squad mates singing and shouting and praising and kneeling and dancing and jumping and all out screaming the name of Jesus. It sounds weird. It honestly probably looks really weird from the outside. 

But was it weird? If you had asked me that seven months ago, I would have told you that yes that sounded incredibly weird. But the really funny thing to me was that as I looked around me, I felt so perfectly at home. I felt so at peace. It felt so normal. 

And that was where God reminded me that this is what His church looks like. This is what the body looks like. This is what His children do. This is what Papa’s family is. This is normal. We are supposed to all out, crazy praise our Father in Heaven ALWAYS. We are supposed to live in community with one another. We are supposed to cheer each other on in our highs and walk beside each other in our lows. We are supposed to commune together and share Jesus together and worship together. This is what the church is and does. 

When you live this out, the people who are surrounding you will become your family. These people are my brothers and sisters in Christ. They have taught me that our lives are to be lived for the Lord and that is worship. Life is worship. As believers, we are intended to let every thing we do and say be an act of worship to our God. The church isn’t a building. It’s a family. 

Today I challenge you to look around and see the family you have around you. Praise God for them, because He put them there for a reason. Fight for them. Pray with them. Encourage them. Have the hard conversations with them. Commune with them. Love them. Be part of God’s family with them. They’re your brothers and sisters in Jesus. It’s an incredible gift. 

 

-Elena