YA'LL! I am so excited about this today. When
Madison and
Rachel started this link-up, I found myself so encouraged by all the women who participated. I love the idea of this virtual coffee date and getting to know one another, even if we are miles and miles apart!
The girls renamed the link-up to Community Brew and it will now be a more regular link-up. I love knowing there are other Christian women who want to share their faith and gain new friendships via this blogging world, like myself.
This link-up is created for bloggers to be open, honest, and vulnerable, and to build community with others.
Topic:
Community
Bible Verse:
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Brainstorming Questions:
What does community mean to you?
Why is it hard to pursue community or open up to others?
What does it look like to "live in a community" with other believers and non believers?
Why is community important to you?
What does it look like to love your neighbor?
To me, the idea of community is honestly scary. I have never done real well "in crowds" and I sure am not very comfortable letting just anyone and everyone inside my thoughts and fears. But that's what community needs to be. We need a community of believers who can lean on each other and offer a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen when times get less than great.
I'm a very private person, by nature. I don't let anyone in very easily and I sure have my guard up in any new relationship I plunge into in life. That's purely the fact that the old me was too trustworthy and it got me in bad relationships and caused a lot of hurt feelings.
I believe for this very reason, it is hard for people to commit to being part of a community. Sometimes the word "community" itself can come across leaving a bad taste in your mouth. I am from a small town and I have seen/heard things from those who "lead our community." Over the years, I've agreed and disagreed with movements and choices, but as I've aged, I've figured out my grumbling does nothing FOR the community. I need to stand up and be a part of things and show my own talents and suggestions.
Growing a town and growing religion in that said town is an even harder task. There will always be non believers around every corner to try and pull you down and steer you from showing just how wonderful God is to our lives. This is when we need a community the most.
My hope and prayer is for a community stand to show our love and gratitude toward God. I want non believers to see us and have to re-think THEIR lives instead of trying to change our views. The Lord works in mysterious ways and I think sometimes in the most uncomfortable settings.
While Brian and I were dating, we were attending two separate churches. I knew this was something I wanted us to fix ASAP in our marriage. He had responsibilities to his church by operating their sound booth so he and I didn't get to start attending church together until a month before our wedding. We bounced around to a few churches in hopes of finding "our" church home together.
While I LOVED my church pastor and his messages, Brian just simply wasn't comfortable in that church. It is the largest church in town and a drastic change from where he was attending. I knew this was God's way of showing me marriage was a compromise from the very beginning. We ended up settling at his home church. While at first that may sound "unfair" that I left mine and we now attend one of his choice, let me assure you it was my decision.
Walking into that church is a sense of community for me. Like I said, I've never been the center of attention or a crowd seeker, but when I walk in this church and people fling their arms around your neck and ask things other than "how are you?" then it changes my outlook. I feel at home at our church. I feel a part of the community.
Brian's membership was still at this particular church, so there was no process for him to join. I began to pray that the Lord would put it upon my heart to join this church if this is where Brian and I were supposed to worship. I'll be completely honest, there were a few times I felt like God was talking to me, but I turned my ear until this one particular Sunday night. God was pushing me to that altar and begging me to trust Him. And I did. The tears on my husband's face was worth every ounce of insecurity it took for me to stand before that church body. (Remember, I don't like all eyes on me.) It's a memory I hope to last a lifetime.
So I encourage you to BE a community yourself. Invite friends over. Put yourself out there. Trust in the Lord.
And speaking of community, I am so blessed and thankful for my fellow blog ladies who I really feel "a part of the community" with when I e-mail and text and read their blogs. Communities aren't always those physically near you. It can be those you don't even know in real life. But your worth in their eyes is one in the same.
