At training camp for the world race, we must pass a physical test. A 3 mile hike in 50 minutes with all of our gear on. It’s to serve as an indicator how physically ready we are for the next year. And I was dreading it.
We got in groups of 5 and lined up at the start together. I wasn’t in a super fast or super slow group. Right in the middle. And then the leaders said go. And almost immediately, my group began to split. Weren’t we supposed to walk together? Isn’t that the point of splitting into groups? I saw the look of struggle in my teammates eyes because I was the slowest one. They wanted to be supportive and stick with me, but they could naturally keep a faster pace.
I smiled, kept silent, and kept walking. I lost my group soon and couldn’t catch up. And that was ok because after a few minutes, someone was walking my pace. And when their pace became faster than mine, I gave an encouragement that subtly let them know it was ok to pass me up. Then another person came and went and came and went. By my last lap, I had walked with several partners, but after a while, no one else came. So I walked alone. And I talked to God.
And the best thing is, God is not confined by four walls and a good worship set. He goes wherever we go and speaks to us even when we are sweaty and out of breath with one shoe untied. So when I was alone, God became my partner and showed me a little more about what a community is.
It isn’t everyone always on the same pace, completely agreeing and in step with one another. It’s not all the A students in a room together being perfect. It’s people that love people and want everyone to succeed but are patient with the progress.
As my teammates walked passed me during the hike, I wasn’t upset that they left me. I was excited for them because I knew that they were going to pass. They were going to make it and that made me happy. Their success does not make my walk a failure. Our walks don’t compare. I passed my hike with two minutes left and there was a teammate who passed it with almost 20 minutes left. There were also people that didn’t make the time. The time didn’t matter because we each did the best we could, and we each encouraged one another in our journey.
When I was getting to the end of my 3 miles and felt like the time was going faster than my legs could go, I knew I needed help. But there was no one hiking around me. But God loves us in community and at that moment, people that had already finished the hike came back to be encouragers for the last part. And that’s what I needed. I needed to see my teammate cheering me on and be that marker of where I needed to get to. I needed the groups at the end cheering my name, when I literally had steps left, to give me a burst of energy to finish my hike strong.
That’s what community is. People on different strides and paths and paces, not holding back or judging, but celebrating the accomplishments and encouraging each other to keep going.
So don’t get attached to where the people around you are spiritually, financially, or socially. Things change. They could win the lottery or decide to quit their job and travel the world for a year because of Jesus. Don’t write them off. Love them and celebrate with them and know that any individual success is a success for your entire community and body of Christ.
