Community

With a couple of different issues going on recently, I have been forced to deal with some hurt. And because of the way I am wired, I guess, I often turn inward to deal with these things. I might even be able to preach truth to myself and ask God to help me deal with it, but it usually stops there, without really involving anyone else, at least for a little while. The interesting thing is, I want and almost expect guys in my discipleship group as well as my other friends to invite me in immediately so they won't be alone. Well, last night, as a friend and I were discussing some things, I became very convicted of my own inability to invite others in to share in my struggles.

I share these thoughts after being stirred by this blog entry written by my roommate and good friend Roy. I wholeheartedly agree with him as he talks about our generation and the lack of wisdom and counsel that we are receiving from others. I am so often that "dumb ass, fighting the flight to self absorption and personal study." And I pray with God's help and my friends' help that I can move on and truly be doing life together in community.

A couple of weeks ago I did a study on how the book of Proverbs deals with this issue (I think perhaps God was trying to get my attention with all these things). And there are at least 25 verses that deal with this issue directly. A verse that really stuck out to me, Proverbs 18:1, has this to say:

"Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgement."

And finally I can't resist a final quote from an amazing book on this subject, Life Together:

“The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure.”