The first blog I wrote on the field, way back on September 15, was titled “Looking Toward Community”. I ended that blog with this:
“This is what a community of God’s people looks like.
The vulnerability, honestly, trust, and faith the people around me have shown reflects Jesus. During team time last night, we talked about what qualities we admire in Jesus and how we can be more like Him.
This is what a community of God’s people does.
We strive to be like him. We step out of our comfort zones, we look past people’s circumstances and see their hearts, we put our faith in God, not in people, we ask for help when we need it, we love even when it’s not easy and when it hurts, and we praise God for his goodness, even when it doesn’t seem like we can see it.
This is a community of God’s people.”
I wrote this after meeting and being with my squad for a span of about 9 days – and now I’ve been a part of this family for about 9 months.
COMMUNITY
It’s one of the most important things in my life right now – one of the most important things in anyones life, really. Community is what drives us, brings us joy, makes us cry, gives our life meaning. The people we interact with everyday impact us immensely – and the ways I’ve seen that come true are incredible.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how different the life I’m currently living is from the lives of my friends and family back home. The community surrounding me on the World Race is something I never could have imagined before experiencing it first hand. For starters, I’m living with a group of 30+ 18-20 year olds. I’ve lived on the floor in a room with 18 girls the past 3 months, and in a room with 9 girls for the 6 months before that. I’ve shared a bathroom with 9+ people each of those months as well. I can’t remember the last time I was ever alone. Even if I’m the only one in our room for some odd reason, which only happens like once a week for five minutes, I can hear the voices of at least 2 other people speaking outside the door. Even at night, someone is always snoring or sleep talking or playing music. I don’t remember what being completely alone is like anymore.
Almost every time there is at least two people in our room, laughter is erupting. We sit down for team time and it goes on for so much longer than we think it will because we spend too much time enjoying each others company. We sing songs and play raps when we need to pump each other up. We do each others hair and honestly help each other find an outfit that makes them feel amazing. We do silly girl things like face masks and plucking each others eyebrows. We have a million inside jokes. We buy each other treats that make us think of them. We leave each other random notes on our pillows. We have more fun than you can even imagine.
And for many people in our world, that’s where community stops. Friendships are fun, simple, full of laughs – but don’t go beyond that.
These past nine months have shown me much more about true friendships and what they mean in a community. I have sisters now, and our friendships dive way deeper than our laughter. We’re sisters who will stop everything we’re doing if someone needs to talk to us. Who will stop without a moments hesitation if someone asks for prayer. Who call each other out and point each other higher when we are doing something that doesn’t reflect the Lord. Who take the time to listen to each other, truly listen. Who know each other’s likes and dislikes, favorite memories and foods, families and friends. Who have held each other when we’ve cried, and rejoiced with each other over the goodness of our God. Who have worshiped together, served together, and laid hands on each other in prayer.
And we’ve had a blast while doing it. We’ve ridden a million busses and tuk tuks together. We’ve laughed until we’ve peed our pants (literally). We’ve spent hours picking lice out of each other’s hair. We’ve crowded on each other’s beds to watch movies. We’ve embarrassingly sang songs and acted out silly skits in front of a bunch of kids. We’ve tried weird foods. We’ve borrowed each other’s clothes time and time again. We’ve cooked together then sang at the top of our lungs as we’ve washed dishes together. We’ve gotten ready for fancy dinners together and taken lots of photos.
We’ve simply lived together for the past 9 months, from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep.
This is a group of people who will show me their love all of the time – even when it’s not convenient, and when it’s not easy, and when they don’t feel like it. Who will be vulnerable with me, and who I can trust to be vulnerable with in return. A group of people who truly desire to help me grow in the Lord, and who I desire to see grow in the Lord as well.
And this is exactly the way God has designed us to be. He saw Adam in the garden and said it wasn’t good for him to be alone – so he created Eve. We are meant to live with other people in our lives. We are meant to sit and eat together in our homes with glad and sincere hearts. We are meant to pick each other up and point each other higher.
The culture we live in, a culture I’m headed back to in 2 short days, is a very individualist based culture. A culture where we’ve told each other that independence is to be admired and praised. Where friendships have become something simply based on convenience. Where we think we are too good to need to learn from or accept help from other people.
Guys! This isn’t the way that we were created. We are sons and daughters of the most High, created in the image of a God that exists in community as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we are human – we need each other. There will always be someone we can pour into, and someone who can pour into us. There will always be someone we can help, can laugh with, can push, can cry with. We, as humans, desire community and long for family around us – and that’s okay because it’s what we are supposed to desire.
This is community. What I’ve lived the past nine months is community. What I’m going to choose to keep living in when I get home is community.
Because it’s who we are.
It’s who God desires us to be.
It’s what makes this life extraordinary.
