Have you ever, in the moment of decision, found it easy to make excuses? You've committed to something, whether verbally to another person or just internally to yourself, saying "I'm going to do this thing," whatever it is. But then when it comes time to do that thing, a subtle and tantalizing line of thinking slips in and says, "Is that really going to be worth it? Wouldn't it just be nice to not do that thing? You've had a long day…you didn't sleep well last night…you deserve ______." Anyone?
I was encouraged at Community Group this past week when one of the folks in my group, who actually had a good list of reasons not to come, decided not to stay home but to come anyway. Not only did this person show up, they came willing to let themselves be known, to open up about the difficulties of life, to be asked and to answer questions, to be prayed for and to speak honestly to God where "two or three are gathered." As Jesus promised, he was present with his people.
At the end of the night, I heard them say, "And I was going to stay home tonight…" We were all glad they didn't.
No matter how old you are, you've got a whole history of dreams, fears, stories, pains, joys, friendships, jobs, places you’ve lived, things you’ve done, and interesting, hard-to-explain family dynamics. A six-week Community Group can barely break the surface of some of the most basic information about you, let alone the deeper realities of your soul. But as I witnessed this last week, it does create the space for you to open up your life, your heart, little by little, where the love of community can meet you in the real stuff of life.
When life gets hard, may we be a people who don't withdraw into isolation and feel the pain of life alone. May we have the courage, with the wind of the Spirit at our back, to press in to community, to let ourselves be known, to open up and trust again even (especially) when it's hard. Don’t stay home.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to Eternal Life.
St. Francis of Assisi