Hey Y’all! It has been a minute since I wrote a blog. A lot has been going on the past two months. I moved from NYC back home to the great state of Texas, I ran a matching campaign for fundraising efforts, and going through some rough patches in general.
Moving away from a place that has been so impactful to my growth the last year and a half is hard. When I first left Texas I did not have a strong Christian community. I was in a very dark place, feeling hopeless, lost and broken. Moving to New York City is when I first dived deep into an authentic relationship with Jesus and being really intentional with the community that I built.
If you know me then you know that I am SUPER introverted. It was super uncomfortable to ask people I barely knew to go to coffee, to have diner, to watch a show. I struggle with small talk and crave deep relationships with people. However, I did the things. I asked people out and you know what happened? I meet some of the best people ever. I started feeling seen and valued. I built a solid foundation with people that could give wise advice. That we could do life with every-day with the good and the bad things.
I am now in the position of having to do it all again. While this time I have more confidence because I know that it can work it still is nerve-racking. Finding a new church is hard, plugging into a community when you feel like the odd man out is uncomfortable (for me) and it is something that I know I need to do. Not to mention that living through this pandemic has not made it any easier.
I went to a church service that was specifically for young adults at a church here that I wanted to try. The sermon was about being a community of friends and looking at 1st Thessalonians where Paul is writing a letter to the church of the Thessalonians.
A verse that really stood out to me was 1 Thessalonians 2:8 “We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives because you had become dear to us.” We are learning here that sharing ourselves with people is also sharing the gospel. It made me think of the verse that says they will know we are believers in Christ by the way that we love one another.
It got me thinking about the areas in my life that I am not living this principle out. Where I am lacking at loving someone purely because that is what God wants me to do. You see being in a community allows you to be shaped and molded. When you are in a Christ-centered community then you are being filled with the love, hope, and encouragement from others about what God says about you. Looking upward allows you to live free.
It also made me thankful that next year I will be living in a very intentional community of friends. I know that it is going to be very intentional because we have already started that intentionality. We have a book club every week where we gather to talk about God and what He has done or is doing in our lives right now. I have only met a handful of them in person so far and can tell that building these relationships now is so helpful. We are to be family and this family is teaching me how to connect. They are teaching me what grace looks like. How complete trust in God can change your life. They are also teaching me how it is okay to come as I am, that we are all broken, and our messiness is welcome. That Jesus went toward the dirty people not away.
Now more than ever I can see how important community is in my life. That I feel more grounded and saner when I connect with people and just do life with them. That we are able to accept we live in a broken world with broken people and we walk side by side pointing each other towards Jesus. God has listened to my prayers asking for a community to feel so welcoming and able to come as I am.
That being said, for those of you who read these blogs I want to connect with YOU, what are ways that I can be praying for you and doing life with you? Leave a comment below or click the contact me button so we can chat!
