Honor Others Above Ourselves

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?

When lust captures us in the dark, we buy into lies that keep us in the dark: “You’ll lose everything if someone finds out.” “What are people going to think if they know?” “No one wants to know those details about your life.” “If you tell someone, it will end. You don’t want it to end.” It feels inescapable, so we do everything we can to cover it up in order to avoid coming clean. There is no freedom in the darkness. When we live in the darkness, sin has the power and control. But God has given us a community of believers to hold us accountable. It can be scary and uncomfortable to ask friends to hold us accountable, but the more we get into the habit of holding one another accountable, the more it becomes normal in our friendships. We tend to believe the lie that we would come off judgmental, annoying, or arrogant, but we have to remind ourselves that to hold a friend accountable is one of the most loving things we can do.  When we hold each other accountable, we aren’t waiting for “gotcha” moments where we can lay on the guilt and shame. Instead, we have a chance to remind one another of the goodness of God and the wealth of his grace. We remind our friends that we have the chance to restore one another and have the kind of deep fellowship we were created for. Reflection/Discussion Question: How can you start implementing accountability into your community?

My neighbors are 87 and 86 and he is stuck indoors recently due to a case of vertigo. I now get the morning paper and mail for them daily. I also take out their garbage to the street on collection day. Something simple but well appreciated. All the glory goes to HIM.

At the beginning of summer I had a mental breakdown that resulted in a hospital stay. My son needed a place to go while I got help and a family at church stepped in and welcomed my son as their own. They've welcomed me as well, and shown me what a family is supposed to be. AmyJo and John Mark have perfectly depicted loving others one at a time. They have walked with us through the hardest season of my life yet, without any payment. The gratitude I feel towards God, the Millers, and my church brings me to my knees and to tears. Bearing burdens is what this church and family does, and may God bless them.