When I was in college I started hearing the phrase
"Do life together."
all the time.
Cliché or not, I believe that it’s what we’re called to do.
Be in community with other believers.*
People to love, mutually encourage, laugh with, mourn with, pray with.
People to do life with.
Multiple times, scripture tells us that we need to be in community.
Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2, New Living Translation
So encourage each other and build each other up 1 Thessalonians 5: 11, New Living Translation
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24, New Living Translation
More than ever I am realizing the value of community.
We need other people all the time but especially when we’re walking through a difficult season.
You need people of the same sex with whom you will be completely honest, held accountable.
You need people to encourage you.and who you can encourage.
You need people you can laugh with.
You need people you can cry with.
You need people you can be real with.
If you don’t have those women, begin to ask God right now that He would bring them into your life.
Be proactive. Join a small group. Serve somewhere. Invite an acquaintance for coffee.
Allow Him to work in you; allow Him to build that community for you.
If you do have that community already in place, thank Him.
Seriously, it is not something to be taken for granted.
*OF COURSE, we are not supposed to associate with believers exclusively. He has called us to be a light to the dark world; that’s our universal purpose. Love and minister to those who don’t know Him but let believers minister to you.
“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.” ~ Henri Nouwen
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