August 31, 2021

Reed's Blog: Community Can Change Your Life

Why should you commit to one more thing in your schedule when life is already chaotic?

I believe community could change your life. It changed mine.
 
Community is the result of intentional, faith-based friendships held by people choosing to follow Jesus and choosing to run together for a season. This is something that God talks a lot about in Scripture, with over 50 instructions for followers of Jesus to live out commands and principles with “one another.”
 
Community forces us to grow. When people choose to share deeper parts of their lives with one another, it creates opportunities for both meaningful friendships and encouragement as well as conflict. Choosing to walk through both the encouragement and differing perspectives helps us grow as well rounded individuals and keeps us from forming our thoughts, habits, and life choices in isolation, which is dangerous.
 
Ever felt lonely? You’re not, well, alone. A recent survey by Cigna confirmed that 3 out of 5 people experience significant loneliness, and this feeling of isolation is linked to physical and mental health struggles. I deeply believe this is because we were not created to go through life alone. God said that “It is not good for man to be alone,” and we can see science and statistics back this up. Joining a group doesn’t guarantee friendships for life, but it is a great way to meet people who want their lives to head in the same direction that you want your life to go in -- towards God. You may make a new best friend through a small group, or maybe you’ll just meet a few more people who want to grow closer to God like you do.
 
I believe that, deep down, everyone wants to be fully known and fully loved. We all want to be fully known for who we are, scars and all, but we’re afraid that if people see all of us, they’ll reject us. It’s easier to be partly known, and keep that last 10% hidden, but if we do that, we can’t ever be fully loved. Joining a group, a community, is a great place to grow in your faith and knowledge, but it’s also a place where you can be fully known, then fully loved, and you can give that same experience to others.
 
Joining a group could change your life, and I’ll vouch for it because a group changed mine. Around seven years ago I joined a group of engineers and graphic design artists I had basically nothing in common with except for a desire to know Jesus better. Those seven men became some of my closest friends for about two years, and I still think of them often. God used that season to make us all better men and better leaders, and I know He can do the same for you.

If any of this resonates with you, come to a “no commitment required” event called GroupConnect on Wednesday, September 8 at The Ridge from 6:00 – 7:30. We’ve got food, childcare, and an opportunity for you to meet group leaders and potential new friends who will create a community with you. We’d love to have you! To help us plan ahead, would you be willing to sign up here?


Whatever it takes,
Reed