Space…personal space… At home, I value having my own space, my own time, and my own privacy… However, on the Race, your space is not your own! Even as you share physical space you come to realize you also share personal space, emotional space, and spiritual space!
Ever since college, I’ve shared many spaces with many different people, but I always had control over how much of myself I shared and with whom I shared it. There was always the ability to withdraw and disengage if I wanted or needed that. However, living on the Race involves seeing and being with each other nearly 24/7… I’ve come to realize that as I share my emotional and spiritual space with others, there is growth, exhorting and encouraging words…
Not only does it mean sharing “space,” but it doing so with people that are often very different than you. We are God’s children, but just like not all children are alike, we are also so different from one another. In the States, we have so many options of where to attend church… Whichever church, pastor, or congregation we “click” with, we choose as our “home” church and attend full-time. While this can be comfortable, it doesn’t always challenge or create within us the growth that God has for us. Living on the Race means doing life, even spiritual life with people we don’t naturally “click” with. I’m seeing what the church really is and how Jesus meant for it to be…
It’s like living in a room full of mirrors that show me myself, making me aware of parts of myself that I never knew existed or needed refining…
It’s also like sailing on a boat that can keep itself righted on the waves in the midst of a violent storm…
Because Jesus gave His followers the Holy Spirit, He lives in each of us… So, as we follow His leading in speaking the hard words to each other, we are refining each other and living out God’s will… Don’t be afraid of hard things and people who are different than you, especially if they are a sister or brother in Christ. God is in them just as much as He is in you and you will learn so much more about God’s greatness by being in relationship with them!
