Community. One of the most powerful and influential tools. The people we choose to surround ourselves with have such an impact on the way we talk, think and live our life on earth. With such power and influence, it is so important that we choose our community carefully and fight for the healthy culture necessary to grow in our life emotionally and spiritually. I saw this play out in my teenage years. Every summer I would attend Camp Lone Star (a Christian summer camp) and be so ready for a life change. But when I returned home, I chose to surround myself with friends that thought, acted and believed very differently than what I was taught and the truth I was introduced to. Even though I was strong in my faith, my community had a very real influence over the negative decisions I then fell into. In the end, I am the one making the mistake, by no one else’s fault. But if I would have made the decision to surround myself with others that would encourage me in my faith, rather than ignore it, my walk throughout high school would have looked much different.
Community. Powerful and necessary. From the creation of man, our God makes a priority to point out that it is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). In the past four years, I have been so blessed to walk life with an amazing community at both Concordia University Texas and Camp Lone Star summer staff. I have been challenged, encouraged and pursued. This has helped me to grow, but more importantly, pointed me to my Savior in powerful ways. Now, I want to talk to you about a very specific word found in the word “community” that is the key ingredient for health and positive impact.
Unity. Unity is hard. It is not natural. It does not come easy. Unity is more than just getting along with people and enjoying their presence. Unity is the picture of linking arms with the brothers and sisters alongside you, despite their brokenness, and walking together, in step with one another, into the war we are called to fight. Finding unity and keeping it in a Christ-centered community is even more interesting. Because yes, you are founded and grounded in the most powerful cornerstone, Jesus Christ, but you are still a group of broken, selfish, sinful humans. And Satan is working overtime to drive wedges in that community, because he knows of the power that exists in the arm linked army. So, where is true unity truly found? Is it with a strong leader? Or a common experience? Or a list of do’s and don’t’s? What does the posture of a heart in healthy Christ-centered community look like?
Here on the World Race, I did not choose my community. I was placed on a team with 6 other Christians and given the same purpose and fight. I am living and walking every single day of this journey with 6 bold and opinionated women, strong leaders, daughters of the King. And while I would love to tell you how easy and fun it has been, I cannot. There are days that we have fun and moments when walking together is easy, but for the most part, it has been difficult. Every single day, we have to make the choice that we will fight for unity with one another and pursue the hearts of each other. That is an exhausting choice to make. But it is beyond worth it. We have been walking this journey together for four months… It should be getting easy by now, right? Wrong. That choice still awaits us every single morning. And it would be so easy to quietly excuse myself from this part of the journey but that is NOT what my King asks of me. Just like Jesus made the choice to put up a fight for my soul, I will, every single day, chose to fight for unity with my sisters.
So why do I write about this? Because I am frustrated with my sisters? No. Because I want to tell all the cool stories of what I have experienced with awesome community? Not necessarily. I want to expose the true difficulty and real power that is found when we choose to humbly submit our lives and our communities to the Lord. I want to share what I am learning, here in Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia, with you, wherever you may be, as encouragement for the fight! Unity can be hard to fight for, but it is so worth it. More than all of that, when we fight for unity, we submit glory to our King, which should be the reason for everything we put our strength and energy into! Here is what I am learning:
Unity begins when we fall. This is so contrary to what I want to believe. I picture a puffing up of my chest and energy spent proving my worth and right to be a part of my community. Rather, it is found when we fall on our knees, head bowed, hands up waving a white flag… Unity in community begins when we recognize who the leader is and submit our community, our friends our family, to Him. Unity happens when we look to the cross to define us. Because when we look to the cross, we cannot puff up our chests or earn anything. Jesus takes it all from us and invites into his protection and leadership. We can only find success, true enjoyment and wholeness in our communities when we choose to look to Him for guidance. It happens when we submit our frustrations, selfishness, pride, and our desire for control to the King of the universe. It is here when we see our leader, Jesus, setting the example of humility, gentleness and love. Our eyes must be set on the cross.
As I mentioned, I have been blessed with some beautiful community in recent years past. From that experience, I have learned so much. I’ve learned what it means to pursue and to be pursued, to love with grace, speak in humble honesty and continually confess and forgive. So, what’s there to say? “Thanks Camp Lone Star”? No. Rather, recognizing that the same leader in that community is HERE, with me now, walking with my me and my 6 new sisters, under a bug net in sweaty Cambodia, living in our broken hearts and calling us to himself at the start of every day. That choice begins with Jesus.
I pray that you are encouraged to know that fighting for unity in your community is so worth every frustration, tear, and triumph. God has blessed us with brothers and sisters to walk into the war with. To link arms, to fall humbly alongside, to encourage and pursue, to be challenged and pursued by, to show us the love of our Savior. I pray that as you are faced with the choice of pursuing your community each morning, you look to Jesus as your leader and fall before His throne.
“He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building… For no one can lay a foundation there than that which is Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 3:8-11
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whole the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22
Yesterday, we celebrated 100 days of the World Race! To celebrate all that God has done in our time on the field and to boast in the work the Lord has done in my family here, I would love to introduce to you my 6 friends I get to call sisters and walk life with here. Stay tuned for the upcoming video! Also, some of them are still not completely financially funded for the continualtion of the Race. If you feel led t give, please click on their pages (on the left of this screen) and donate. Thank you!
