21 and Counting: The Findings of True Community

Yesterday, I celebrated a milestone in my life of fully reaching adulthood as most would call it. As I reflect on the past 21 years of my life, I am overwhelmed with how God has moved and molded me into who I am today; and I look forward to see how He continues to do so as I continue on day by day into the next year of my life.

The striking thought of it all is the community He has surrounded me with throughout it all. My family has been incredible encouragement and support in whatever situation, from high school drama to the tough realities of the "college living" outside the comfort of home. They have stood firm in the Word and have been excellent examples of faith and how to live to glorify God in all things. Through them all I have learned a great deal and will continue to do so in whatever situation.

The second aspect of this community is the family in Christ I have found. Growing up in a Christian home and being a pastor's kid, I was always surrounded by believers and had that encouragement. It wasn't until I left home for college that I was semi alone. New city. New life. It was then for the first time I had to pursue this community myself. I had to seek and find my identity in the Lord without parental supervision, and it was all by His grace that I found community in my church and my campus ministry. Through these places, I have come to know incredible brothers and sisters in Christ that sharpen and push me to understand and have a deeper love of God.

Through both these groups, family and friends (but also considered family in a different context), I have seen the true importance of community in the Christian life. Just as we are called to reach out to the lost and we need to be actively sharing the gospel, we are called to gather and be with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2) and seek to restore one another in love. As we pursue Christ, let us gather so that we may encourage one another in the faith, love one another, and celebrate with our brothers and sisters when it is a time for celebration, grieve in a time of grieving, and above all else, actively push one another in seeking Christ more with our lives and how our lives might be lived for His glory.

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV)