There are five things that made me busy this summer, or more specifically, this July.
Five things that I wanted to give time and energy to, so I took a break from blogging. Five things that filled me up and gave me life, but also made me stay up until midnight and then sleep for eighteen hours.
And they all had one thing in common.
Community.
Everything that kept me busy over the month of July revolved around people - from the people at work to my friends at Realm Makers, to siblings at retreat, to my family and friends at camp in the middle of Evansville.
And through those old friends and new friends, co-workers and family members, God has been teaching me that community... is important.
The people God has placed in our lives were placed there for a reason and they are important.
There's a reason God put them in our lives. Maybe He put them there to bless you, or for you to bless, to encourage you, or for you to encourage, for you to serve, or be served by. But whatever the reason, He put them there.
He gave you your family, your church, your friends, your hobbies and passions and unlikely acquaintances, with a purpose behind all of them.
We just have to invest and take time to pour into that community.
Lonely
As someone who is very much an introvert most of the time, and doesn't really like talking to people I don't know, and isn't the most confident in myself, I don't naturally do this. In fact, plugging into a community and putting myself out there to encourage and bless, and be encouraged and blessed by others, is hard.
I'm someone who would find it easiest to walk into church, smile, and then walk out at the end of the service, without talking to anyone. I much prefer watching from the outside than stepping in and engaging with people myself.
But God has not called us to a life of sitting on the sidelines and watching. He has not called us to do the easy thing, or the comfortable thing. He has not commanded us to sit down and wait for an opportune time to step out of our comfort zone. No!
He commanded us to "go into the world" and "love your neighbor as yourself." He said "let the little children come to me," and that "whatever you did to the least of these... you did for me."
He also promised, "in this world you will have trouble." He promised that the world would hate us, just like Him, that it wouldn't be easy, and we would often have to turn the other cheek.
And as I've tried a bit harder not to do the easy thing, to engage and take time to care about others and invest in the people around me, God has blessed me so much, in so many different ways.
He blessed me with the opportunity to meet an incredible bunch of people in St Louis that I'd never met before, but somehow, still clicked with and just felt connected with, friends in the middle of nowhere to laugh with and play hide-and-seek with, co-workers to learn from, and so much more.
It's not always easy. Actually, it's almost never easy. But God's children are worth it. They're worth going outside your comfort zone, spending time with, and praying with. They're worth late nights and early mornings, no air-conditioning and long drives.
People are worth so much. Our Savior gave up His life for His people. I think you can spare a bit of yours to love them.
A Two Way Relationship
Last Sunday the pastor at my church preached an incredible sermon on the importance of investing in the church and the people in it. And it really reminded that community is not something you can just expect to receive something from.
It's not a fix-all, or a place to just come to and get poured into, no, you have to pour into others too.
You have to invest in others. You have to serve the people around you.
It's a two-way relationship where both people are giving and receiving and showing Christ's love, and that is what true community is.
Community is a beautiful, incredible thing that can encourage your soul and bring a smile to your face. People can make you feel included and loved, and like you've found a home away from home.
God blessed me so much this summer through finding my people and having community. He allowed me to make new friends and become closer with old friends and in all of that, get closer to Him.
But you have to go into these kinds of relationships ready to pull your own weight - ready to invest in others, and care about others, instead of just receiving.
In Conclusion... Community Is Vital
Life is hard. Like I already said, Jesus promised that we would have trouble in this world.
And because it's so hard, because living in a world that hates us is such a current reality, we need community. It's not just a nice extra little thing that makes us feel nice. It's a need.
We need the church. We need Christian friends and mentors. We need people who are going to point us toward Him, and who we can point towards Him too.
We need people we can pray with and support and encourage, people to lift up, and sometimes cry with.
Just like Jesus had His disciples and His followers, we as Christians have each other and we have to take the time to invest in the people God has specifically placed in our lives.
So let's not sit on the sidelines anymore. Let's not wait to be poured into.
The people in your life are there for a reason, and community can be one of the most beautiful blessings God ever gives you. So don't let those opportunities to love or listen to give a hug slip between your fingertips because you're too scared.