Community

When I think of community, it frightens me. I mean really, community? As in large groups of people all pretending to love on each other, but actually just trying to get out of things as much as they can? 
Not my idea of fun. Uck.


But digging deeper, and into the biblical version of community, we see something entirely different. In Acts (2:42-47, 4:32-37), we find everyone gathered together-they were eating together, growing in Christ together, and every need was met. In Romans 12:16, we find that He says, "Live in harmony with one another."Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
But a Bible verse that I have come to love, and is entirely applicable, is 1 John 1:7,

"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

Do you hear this?
I'm going to write it again.

"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

We already have fellowship with each other, through Christ.
We all have one thing in common-God. The Holy Spirit lives inside us as Christians. Why would we not want to fellowship with one another? 
In 1 Corinthians 12, we find that each of us have our own gifts, that Christ has given each one of us. We also find that we, as Christians, are a body.
A BODY.
As in, this one guy is the shin, and this girl I know is a finger, and this other girl is the ear lobe, and this kid is the ankle bone.
We are all unique.
And as we all know, our bodies have about a kajillion and one different parts. But without one part, we wouldn't work right.
A BODY.
A KAJILLION +ONE PARTS.
ALL WORKING TOGETHER.
As in, this guy is really gifted with words, and this other girl is incredibly incredible at painting, and this other kid can memorize things like crazy and pretty much can quote the whole Bible, and this other gal is really talented at giving life to those in need.
AND IF ONE OF THESE STOPPED DOING WHAT THEY ARE GOOD AT...
(I'm sure, if Taylor reads this next word, he will be amused.)

disfunction.

We are meant to be a body. We are meant to do the things that Christ has instilled in us, with other people.
This means that I need other people. Because although I may connect with God by sight, someone else may connect with him by hearing, or playing, or drawing, or writing, or dancing, or singing.
My goal, as a human, a Christian, and a daughter of Christ, is to know God.
And although it will not ever happen, I long to know all of God.
In order to know all of God, I need community to share with me the things they draw, sing, dance, play, hear. These people, in my life, were given to me so that my blinders will slowly be lifted from my eyes. And they will become less and less, and I will start seeing the big picture...of God.


So tonight, when asked about what being intentional with people means,
I had to check my own intentions.


I had to bounce back to what God wants of me, and who I long to be.


And in an entirely biblical sense?
I long for community.