In community we begin to discover a desire for what we didn’t know was so near, or that it was ours. Traveling into the depths proves to be a lifelong journey, and happens best in community. One of the benefits of being in a community that strives to be on both an inward and an outward journey, not only as individuals but together, is that I don’t have to rely on my own sense of how it’s going. When I’m tired and grouchy, needing to retreat from activity, others are enthusiastic about being together. I can bow out while others bow in.
A church that is self-aware knows its weakness and welcomes you in your weakness, too. You will never need to wonder if you are “enough” to belong. The fact is no, you are not enough–and neither are the rest of us. So c’mon. The baggage room is over there–lay down yours and I’ll lay down mine and we’ll lean on God together.
I appreciate a community made up of people who know they are weak and wounded and know that’s not the whole story. Weakness doesn’t automatically translate into community, but it can be a starting place. At the base of community is not weakness, but the desire to grow in love.
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