let's be friends

Community is so easy to miss.

Around each and every one of us is the opportunity to experience true, honest love. It is manifest in the body of Christ- set to be the fragrance of a Holy God to a lost and dying world. It encompasses all of that which is true and pure, forgiving and convicting us of who we are and supposed to be. it is the bond that connects us as one and transcends the earthly limitation of physical bloodline. It is the specific plan of God for his people.

How often we settle for the cheap acquaintance...

Community requires raw honesty, something many of us are not comfortable with. Having grown up in a culture of smiles and doin just fine's, we can be perfectly content in our self-righteous morality. Trading integrity and character for self-made idols of goodness and got-it-togetherness is eating away at our souls. We have a daily routine for making sure our outer appearance is acceptable to the rest of the world, even in our speech. Some work very hard to maintain this...and for what? All this to perpetuate an ideal of "me". We are so dedicated, we even take mission trips, read inspiring books and sing very loud at the worship service to satisfy our own egos. Harsh it seems- but its true.

You and I are challenged by people in our lives who are willing to say the things we DO NOT want to hear. This is called love, too. (It's not always smiles,l hugs and hellos) These people are not scared to speak truth. They have no regard for defensiveness or pride-but all devotion to Jesus Christ. It is His love that compels us to be light in the darkness- even when it shows up in our own hearts. If you and I are going to move forward in life- we need the people who will push past our defenses to get to the real issues.

I regret my missing out on real community while in college. I was too busy disconnecting myself from accountability that would challenge me to be more like Christ. And now I see it. Thank God for the close people in my life who are willing to speak up and challenge my direction.

A few things community is not:
-talking about someone to everyone else but that person. aka gossip. this is one of the vilest forms of dissension in the body. it does more damage to community than anything.
-maintaining a false image of oneself.
-hiding sin
-pretending
-watching a friend make terrible decisions and not speaking up to that friend.
-avoiding being truly known.
-ministering to everyone else except for those right around you.

Let's strive for honesty. community. the gospel. the body.