Hold You Accountable

These days, with social media and technology, it’s easy to confuse number of connections with depth of relationship. We settle for social gatherings full of small talk, consistent interactions on Facebook, and quick work conversations to fill us up. But settling for these kinds of relationships over deep relationships is like eating a bag of chips when you’re hungry for a meal. The chips may curb your hunger for the moment, but you will be hungry again.  Yet, we settle for these kinds of superficial relationships over and over again and wonder why we feel so lonely. Anxiety and depression are at an all time high in teens and young adults. We have to wonder if the width of connection may be replacing depth of connection and how that replacement is affecting our mental and spiritual health. We were made for the kind of connection that the Trinity models for us. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in perfect unity. They are committed to one another and in perfect community with one another. If we were made in the image of the Trinity, we were made to reflect this kind of beautiful community with one another. This doesn’t mean that we have to invest in every single person in our lives. Even Jesus didn’t invest in more than twelve people. He had relationships with more than twelve, but he gave himself to the twelve and heavily invested in three within that twelve. Jesus modeled for us the impact of unyielding commitment to a few friends. Jesus revealed parts of himself to these three that he didn’t to the rest, like in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-37) and on a mountaintop during his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2). If we want committed relationships in our lives, it starts with looking to Jesus and following his example with others in our lives. Reflection/Discussion Question: How does thinking about the community within the Trinity help you think differently about your own community?

I can remember being in college and resolving to confess sexual sin to my close friend at the time. It had gone on in secret for too long. I was nervous and almost bailed out of saying anything at all, but once I finally said it, I was met with a sigh of relief and a “me too.” Although our confessions of sin may not always be met with “me too,” we can still find the freedom of bringing sin that has thrived in the darkness for too long and watch it shrink in the light. First John has some sharp words to say on this matter: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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, purifies us from all sin” (1:5-7, NIV). Even if we practice sin in secret where it seemingly has no affect on the people around us, we are walking in the darkness. In order to walk in the light, all parts of our lives need to be exposed in the light. So, John makes the bold claim that if we claim to have fellowship with Christ and continue in sin without bringing it to light through confession, then we are liars. Ouch! Does this seem drastic? Think about it this way: Jesus died to destroy sin once and for all. If we claim to follow Jesus, then we will also put sin to death. If we continue living in the very thing that Jesus died to destroy, then we are no longer following Jesus, we are following our own way.  So, how do we bring sin to light? First John goes on to say, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1:9, NIV). We confess our sins to God and to trusted friends. We will find that as we practice regular confession and repentance to God and our community, we will be healed. Reflection/Discussion Question: How can you start implementing confession into your community?