The Power of Community.
POWER OF COMMUNITY
Hey y’all! It’s your girl Julie, and I’m back with another segment of “Salty & Lit!” As you know, I’ve been taking time to write about our relationship with God, and struggles we may face during it. My last post focused on changing the scenery, and I highlighted how sometimes we should do something new with God; I mean, He is God. Today’s post will be about the power of community (godly community), which helped me stay in God’s Word, even if I didn’t want to be.
Let’s pray.
Father, thank You for the fact that we are not alone. Thank you for the fact that You have given us community to speak on those moments when we don’t want to spend time with You. Help us to see You through them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
So community… I’ll be honest that I didn’t truly embrace being part of a community until I got to college. Shout out to Ashley for pushing me in being vulnerable in this life, but in all seriousness, I grew up learning that you keep things to yourself and if you’re going through something, you go through it and then when it’s over, you come back. Yes, there’s discernment and discretion when it comes to talking about things, but I do believe there are times God can use you opening up to help you get through.
I remember when I was going through the struggle of God time; Tarah had told me that I was fine, which assured me because I really thought God was punishing me for a bit. It wasn’t until I heard that other people stated that they experienced it, that I knew that I wasn’t alone. It was like, “Yo, I’ve been through that. It sucks, but God’s still with you, even if you don’t feel it.” It gave me that push to keep coming to God; even if I wasn’t feeling God’s presence, it didn’t take away the fact He was; maybe He was just doing something different. It was uncomfortable, but I didn’t have to go through that alone. I had people talk to me and encourage me to stay the course. Remind me it wasn’t my fault. God knew there would be seasons in which I felt distant from Him, but here’s the thing, He still was there, waiting for me to cry out Abba, which I did. It was hard, but I still kept coming to Him even if I came differently from the past.
I wasn’t doing Bible studies, but I was speaking to God. I was growing in just sitting with Him, admitting what I was feeling, which was definitely uncomfortable. It turns out that I was upset with God about something, and so I was feeling that distance from Him. I’m not saying that’ll be why that happens to you, but I want to remind you you’re not alone. So with that, I want to remind you that you can be honest with God and others about your time with God. You don’t have to go through this alone, but I also think we go through these things to be able to identify with people who may feel like that, so to wrap up, I have some questions for you: Have you ever experienced a time when you felt like God wasn’t there? How did you react?
Let’s pray.
Father, You’re so good. Thank You for being our Friend and for giving us friends where we can be honest with You about what we’re going through. Teach us to value the community you’ve given us and for those longing for community, please give them one and allow them to be the ones to start the one they longed for. Father, thank You for catalysts in the kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
