Ok….vulnerability time…this may not come as a huge shocker to you…but it’s becoming way more real to me lately: COMMUNITY IS HARD! especially CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY!
We are all broken individuals who lash out and have lots of emotions that surface daily….but the COOLEST thing I think I’m realizing is that COMMUNITY IS SO WORTH IT….it’s so worth fighting for…it’s worth crying through…it’s worth yelling through…it’s just worth it, SO worth it.
We may not communicate perfectly, love perfectly, serve each other perfectly…but I dont think God wants us to be PERFECT….I think He wants us to realize how much we truly need HIM to direct our paths and give us the necessary communication skills, deeper love, and strength to serve (amidst wounds and fiery arrows). The incredible part is that when we ask for that….HE GIVES IT FREELY WITH ABUNDANCE!
I’ve been so challenged lately to start seeing my community through a new set of eyes. Instead of seeing the words they are saying or the actions they are doing (which can be incredible hurtful and offensive), God is challenging me to see them for their truthful identity they have in Him. What I mean by that is, when my sister is telling me how much she hates that I never clean the kitchen…I look back and see her as God’s daughter, beloved by Him, created with a purpose to do GREAT THINGS…she may be lashing out…but the TRUTH OF WHO SHE IS HAS NOT CHANGED. Instead of snapping back, I then can love her more deeply because I know how she’s acting is not WHO SHE IS in Christ.
So I guess all that rambling to say…. please don’t give up on community when it gets hard.
Wow what blessings friends bring…and love and joy to my life…SOO worth fighting through all the hard because when hard things come you know they have your back no matter what!
Watch this video it’s one of my favorites…really has little do with Christian community but it’s a amazing song about God’s love for his people…
