A statement I have heard time and time again in the church. We are created for community, to bring out the best in others and to love them at their worst. What I didn’t realize is how important community really is. Until the race, I thought I was doing a good job living in community with others. Letting them into my space and in return, getting in their’s but really I was just living a small part of community.
On the race people are in your space, all day, every day. Most days that’s ok, but there are a few days that you think “why the heck did I put myself in this situation?” Not because you don’t like them but you just don’t have any place to just be you, whatever that means for you. You just want somewhere to be free to do whatever you need to do to continue to fight each day.
As we end month 10 I realize how special this time in my life is and how much I am going to miss the community I have built around me. Why? Because they are people who have taken the time to search my heart and my life and they want me to reflect Jesus in everything I do. Because, even though it’s hard sometimes, they say things they see in me that don’t point back to Jesus and want to see me step into something different. They care enough about me to give me space to not be ok, but they don’t let me stay there. Most importantly they point me back to Jesus.
Often when we are continually fed lies in our life we start to perceive them as ultimate truth. That’s the beauty of community, they can come along side you and say “what you are perceiving as truth is actually a lie from the enemy, and let me tell you why.” In the past there are a handful of people who I trust enough to share the lies in being fed with and they do point me back to the lord, and I am SO thankful for them.
My encouragement is find a community of people who love you right where you’re at and be that for someone else. When I go home I have to do the same, I have to find people that are willing to say the hard things to me with grace and truth. Who are willing to love me at my worst and rejoice with me at my best. My squad mates will still be in my life and still mean so much to me, but we won’t be in each other’s space 24/7. Effort is going to have to go into our relationships when we get back, but it’s worth it. SO WORTH IT.
If you don’t know what having a good community looks like, ask someone, ask me. We aren’t supposed to do this thing alone. Everybody needs somebody, we all have something someone else needs, are you willing to give it to them without expectation. I’ve had to learn these lessons over and over again this past year, it’s hard, it hurts, but I’m a better person because of the people that are surrounding me.
