The Power of Community

Love One Another

You know those people who just fill your cup?

The ones who speak life into your soul and leave you better than they found you?

That’s your tribe. Your community. Your people.

And it’s not about who you see the most or who you’ve known the longest.

It’s the people who step right into the “mess” of our lives and pick us up when we’re down. The ones who remind us who we are, who God made us to be, and encourage us when we can’t do it ourselves.

The people God placed in your life to help you through the darkest of valleys, and to celebrate with you on the highest of mountains.

They’re your angels here on Earth. 

LIFE CAN GET REALLY TOUGH

I got laid off from my job in November 2022. I had a 1.5-year-old at home, and my world was completely rocked. I was blindsided. I didn’t know how we’d pay our bills and my pride was absolutely shattered. 

I had seen lows before, but this? This one was different.

Maybe because I was a new(ish) mom with a baby at home, relying on me. Maybe because it felt personal, like a direct hit to my character and capabilities. Maybe because I was immediately and brutally confronted with where I was putting my identity and value - and it most certainly wasn’t in God, like I had been proclaiming since I was 13. 

It was one of the darkest days of my life. 

I’ll never forget texting one of my nearest and dearest friends, Carly.

See, Carly lives nearly 4 hours away from me, all the way across the state. She also has her own life, with a husband, pets, home, family, and job of her own.

But that didn’t matter to Carly. Because Carly was at my house within less than 8 hours of receiving that text message. And she stayed for 3 days, helping me piece back together my broken soul and spirit.

She came right into my lowest moment and walked through it with me. She gave me strength when I had none.

I think everyone deserves someone like Carly. Maybe a few of them.

Because no matter how hard we try, how hard we work, or what we do - life gets tough. It’s messy and unpredictable, and sometimes, the brokenness of the world we live in is absolutely overwhelming.

A lot of the time, it’s simply too much for one person to carry by themselves. 

And that’s why God created us to be in community. We weren’t meant to walk this life alone.

BETTER TOGETHER

The Bible references fellowship and community numerous times. One of my favorite verses is Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will follow the law of God”. 

Truthfully - most, if not all, relationships are easier in the ‘good’ times, like vacations, dinner dates, and laughing over a cup of coffee.

And those memories are great. Trust me, I’ve shared many camping trips, game nights, and sushi nights with Carly over the years, too. 

But those pretty, polished moments aren’t all that life is. And that’s okay.

Relationships aren’t meant to be surface-level. Community is a beautiful mixture of highs and lows. God calls us to carry one another’s burdens because we’re not meant to do it by ourselves. 

Some days it’s celebrating new life at a baby shower. And just a few months later? It’s talking through the hardships and challenges of motherhood. 

And some days, it’s holding someone who just lost their job and livelihood. And then? It’s celebrating with them when they end up at the job that God was preparing for them. 

There’s laughter and tears. There’s happiness and hardship. Highs and lows, hills and valleys.

Much like Jesus being sent into a broken world, we’re called to enter into the brokenness of those around us, reflecting the love and light of God in how we serve others.

And sometimes, it’s the other way around. And we need those around us to come into our darkness, bringing light and healing with them.

I pray you have a tribe that loves you well. That you have a community who joins you in the trenches, on the mountaintops, and everywhere in between. 

And when someone in your village needs the love and light you have to share, I pray that you can give it freely and that they accept the help and support you have to offer.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” - John 15:13