4. I love love love my squad, it's "ouR Joy Squad"–these people feed me all the time without even realizing what they're doing.
This one of my favorite truths of training I’m writing about. There are so many ways that God blew my mind during that week, but my new love for community definitely enveloped my heart in an instant and grew over those 8 days. Even better, it’s still growing!
All I have done since I’ve gotten home is babble on and on to anyone who’s willing to listen long enough about how much I love my squad family. I’ve have never known that kind of instantaneous love. No need for questions or answers really. It’s amazing how God ordains and edifies relationships that are going to further His kingdom before we have the slightest inkling of what’s to come.
We were able to come together as a family right away, partly because ouR squad is the best, but mostly because we were able to build off of a foundation that had already been set in stone and secured for us. All we had to do is act in the freedom of community that God had already established.
We all came with the same desires, to further the kingdom. We all came with the same passions, stepping out in expectation of God to change us so we can change others. We came so that we can know what it means to live and love beyond ourselves in community.
The bonds built in those 8 days will only be magnified over the next 11 months, and knowing how much I love everyone now makes it hard to think about what it will feel like to love everyone that much more when our time is up.
I have to admit, it’s so much easier for me to love on others once they have loved on me. I think a lot of people are that way. We choose to love, and we express love, but it’s almost like we fight giving it until we get enough back; complete selfishness. It makes me think of what it must be like for Christ to just pour his love into us over and over again just waiting on us to just give in a little bit and recognize Him enough to love Him back; complete selflessness.
It’s my prayer that I would take the same vulnerability I never knew I was capable of giving to squad family I just met to God. That’s the least He deserves from me.
So, thank you to my squad family for loving on me, not only because it gave me excuse to love you back, but because it opened my eyes to the joy of loving Him back.
