Together in community
There’s something beautiful about coming together in community with other believers.
I’ve been thinking about this lately. I wouldn’t exactly call myself a ‘loner’, because that sounds like a bad thing, but I will say that my inner life and relationship with God is often a private thing to me. It feels very personal and that makes it hard to share it with other people.
But I’ve also been learning about the need for community.
This thing we call life? We can’t do it alone.
We need community – likeminded people who can come alongside us and do it with us. People who can be disciples of Jesus with us.
The world has been pretty crazy out there lately. There’s a lot of darkness. And it’s when I’m alone that I start to dwell on that. Is there anything good left? I’ll wonder. Where is the light in all of this?
It’s when I stop looking out there and start looking right around me that I’m reminded of God’s goodness.
The light is not gone. God is still good. God is still present, right here, right now, and he loves us. When we give him our anxieties there is so much joy to be found in his presence.
This weekend I had the great opportunity to spend time with some friends of mine. We got to laugh together, sing together, pray together. It was such a spiritual refreshment to connect with other believers in that way – I was so reminded of how good He is.
For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.
Matthew 18.20
In some ways, I feel like I’m still searching for my place in community, but in others, I am so grateful for that which I already have. Because I can’t do it alone.
I think that’s one reason the COVID lockdown in 2020 was so hard. I mean, being homeschooled, at first the quarantine wasn’t that much different from normal life. But after the first few months, it really started wearing me down. No church, no seeing friends, no going anywhere…. it was rough. Eventually even FaceTime and emailing wasn’t enough to give me that satisfaction that comes from being with people. Even great conversations over the internet leave me wanting something more.
God is faithful – in his own time he has answered my prayers for friendship.
I’m so grateful for people to do life with.
And I pray that all you, my readers, have found some of that community as well. If you haven’t yet, pray for it! Your Father hears you and knows exactly what you need.
Thanks for reading! Tell me in the comments below what you think.
About The Author
Abby
Abby is a teenaged writer who loves using her words for Jesus, to seek and point out beauty in the ordinary. When she isn't writing, you can find her jamming on her guitar, which she fondly calls "Raymond Fender the First", sitting on porches, or reading.
This was absolutely incredible Abby! Very, very true! Our need for fellowship as humans runs deep and our need for a community of believers is even deeper. I’m so grateful for your friendship- it’s been a huge blessing to me!
Thanks, Grace! I’m so grateful for your friendship, too.
Friendship is so wonderful, and friendship between believers is such an amazing gift from God! Isn’t it crazy that such different people can be knit together through faith?
I agree! It’s definitely a beautiful thing!
I stumbled across this post and realized I had not yet read it.
So I read it.
And I love it. I continually take for granted the people God has given me and it’s because of this that some of my relationships have been suffering, lately. Thank you for this reminder, Abby. I forget that not everyone has been blessed with the kind of community I’ve grown up in.
Keep writing.