The key to success in life is a healthy supportive community. And that has to be more than anything first and foremost your own immediate family. We can all agree that without community life is empty and broken. We were created for relationship first with God and second with each other. Apart from that emptiness and disillusionment take over.
"When I am with a group of human beings committed to hanging in there through both the agony and the joy of community, I have a dim sense that I am participating in a phenomenon for which there is only one word... "glory"." M. Scott Peck
Gabby and I have found the invaluable worth of living in community. While studying in DLA the biggest focus outside of the pursuit of God was surrounding yourself with a community of believers who will stand with you through it all. We came out of the ministry immediately searching for whom would walk with us for the long haul in this journey of faith. It was quickly after we married a group of us began meeting regularly every Sunday afternoon to simply cook a meal together and seek Jesus. This went on for over 2 years and became more than just a sunday afternoon as we would gather as often as possible throughout the week and sometimes finding our schedules not matching up for a few weeks. It was such a rich season for us. Amazingly, all of us found ourselves being led by Jesus to other parts of the world, of parts of the U.S. and areas of ministry taking up our time and creating distance. Despite this we have all stuck together where we connect at the least every 2 months over Skype to catch up and pray for each other. It is a friendship God has forged among us.
Though we have these friends we now are in a season were it is usually just Gabby and I and the kids. Our ability to connect with our local church outside of Sundays is hard to maintain granted we live an hour away. We have been able to connect with many folks and attend a small group every so often but it is not as easy anymore.
What we are learning to be the greatest core value of our lives is to build and be the community within our own family that we had and desire to always be a part of wherever we go whatever we find ourselves doing in life. Specifically as a missionary when you get on the field you most often only have 1 or 2 other families or single people working with you. And it is essential to learn how to be a self-sufficient community within your own family. Where you are feeding each other with life and encouragement through the word, prayer, worship and reaching the lost. It has become more real to us how hard that is to do sometimes when your friends and family are no longer around to fill in the gaps. When you can't attend a local church that you can just sit in but are usually the one leading all the church services. There is a hidden failure in america amongst Christian families who are amazing people but if left to just themselves would struggle to continue to press hard after God leading each other to righteousness and walking in faith and truth. Granted I have seen tons of families pursuing hard after Jesus very well and can name several.
So this is what we are growing in as a family. Community has to happen now in our situation with our 2 young boys. We must gather together as a family and seek hard after God calling each other to righteousness and faith. It is up to us to raise our boys with a heart to pursue God in prayer and in studying the word. To teach them to confidence in preaching the gospel and praying for the broken, hurting, and dying. So that they don't find themselves upset because they don't have friends to go play with or family they can't see all the time. We desire that they would feel that just us is more than sufficient for life. And as a husband and wife to truly be one before the Father in every area of life.
We are grateful for this season to develop this to a greater measure. And I encourage you if you don't do this already with your family and or spouse. To take ownership and be the community you want to be a part of. We all may not always have people around us. Sometimes we need to strengthen ourselves in the Lord when there is no one else to carry us. And who knows how many people you may find coming through your door to find Jesus and become a part of that Christ like family.
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