Wherefore art thou Community?

where·fore

1. 1.

   for what reason.

1. 2.

   as a result of which.

com·mu·ni·ty

noun

1. 1.

   a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
2. 2.

   a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.

Last week I was approached by a woman in Hobby Lobby that made a distinct impression on me. But, before I tell you the conversation we had, let me set the scene: Shopping with Cody and my mom, feeling totally distracted by Shane kicking my ribs (35 weeks then) and thinking of all the things I want to accomplish before this little guy arrives. Cody, was in his usual friendly state and said his very familiar "hiiiii" to most people in the store. When we passed this woman and her little girl who looked to be about 3 or 4, Cody said "hiiiii" to which the mom  sweetly responded and said hi back. She looked different. She had a very big hairdo with a bun, a denim skirt, and no makeup. I think she was probably Pentecostal. Her voice and manner of speaking on her phone as we lingered near each other for a minute  was very sweet, and I thought to myself in that moment, "even though we probably have very different beliefs, I think this woman is my sister". 

And that was that. We continued walking and she continued giving directions on her phone.

About 10 minutes later we were on the other side of the store and she came to find us to ask us about the flowers she had in her hand. She informed us that they were for her son's tombstone because he had recently died. She said it so simply and matter-of-fact, but there was sadness and peace mixed in her voice. She wanted to know if we thought the yellow and orange flowers she picked out would be boyish enough for his headstone. And, I'm assuming she came to find us because we had a little boy with us. 

I assured her that they were boyish enough as I held back tears and asked her how old he was. I guess since she was willing to tell us that her son had died, I assumed that she wouldn't mind being asked questions. He was 12 hours old and she said she was just so grateful to be able to hold him. She knew going into her delivery that his chances of survival were near impossible. She said "the Lord knew what we needed" and my earlier thoughts about this woman being my sister were further confirmed. I held back tears during our short interchange and we parted paths. 

Later that evening I received word from a close friend that a family they were close to had lost their 2 year old son to cancer. His mom posted about him that night and as I read about his personality, which was so much like Cody's, I sat and cried for hours. 

Both of the moms in these stories had such a peace about them. They were most definitely sad and deeply grieved by the loss of time on earth with their sons, but they both knew that their sons were with their Father in heaven.

After hearing of these stories and after all of that emotion, I decided I needed some time to just hang out with Jesus and wanted so badly for him to come talk to me and tell me about his faithfulness and plan in all of this. I am so thankful for the technology that we have today that will read to you when your eyes are too tired to read for yourself, and so I listened to the Gospel of John. 

I felt comforted and was able to rest but the lingering thoughts about these stories were still with me the following day.  The most common thing I think about when things like this happen is "What is the Lord preparing me for?" I know that is wrong and selfish. I should be more concerned about the others who are involved. But, I'm more concerned about myself. So, I wonder, is Shane going to be born with a problem and die or is something going to happen to Cody, or maybe it's just that I need to be prepared for tragedy and something is going to happen to Todd, and so on and so forth...

All of these types of thoughts consume my mind and then He chastises me. He reminds me of His word. OH THANK YOU LORD for Your Word! 

• Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

• Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I could continue to post more and more promises and chastisement from His Word but you get the gist. I was struggling and I needed to be reminded that what I was thinking about was not true and therefore it didn't need to be thought about. Be anxious for nothing!!

If the Lord does decide to bring a trial into my life, I know several things about that. 1) It is intended for my good. 2) It is because He loves me 3) I will be able to endure it in His strength 4) It is for His glory

So now why the title of this post? 

What does any of this have to do with community?

First off, it has to do my church. I could not say more about how thankful I am to have MANY godly women to look to for guidance during trying times. I am SO DEEPLY thankful for the mentoring program we started where I have been able to be mentored personally for over a year and a half by an amazing older woman, and have now had the chance to start mentoring a younger girl myself. What a blessing it has been! 

I honestly think I would have continued in my worried state of anxiety much longer had I not been in the Word and spending time with fellow believers in community together. 

Secondly, the Lord has called us to live in community together, but it seems that many of us are still little islands trying to get by on our own. Even with busy and hurried schedules, it is so important to have fellowship with the body of Christ. Especially on more days than Sunday.  

Lastly, I hope this was an encouragement to you. If your church doesn't have a mentoring program set up, just find an older godly woman and ask...just do it. It will be so worth it!!

Great Article on Informal Mentoring

My Green Wedding Ring - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I always love St. Patrick's Day because I am covered when it comes to wearing green! My wedding ring has two emerald's in it, and it's always fun to think about why my ring has two emeralds. Todd designed every bit of this ring without any of my input and when I first saw it, I have to admit, it was not what I expected! But, after learning about why he chose each part specifically, I loved it! And since then, I have loved it more and more! We shared the ring description with those who were at our wedding, but I thought since it has been 5 years, it might be neat to share again, so here you go!

Gold:   We are gifts to each other, blessings from God, but we are not each other’s final destination. We are not eternally complete by or in our relationship to each other. God holds us accountable to help each other along our present path toward the golden streets.

Diamond:        “Diamonds are forever”? Not quite. They burn in God’s wrath just like anything else. God, however, is forever. Alpha and Omega. Before we physically existed, we existed to him. He had plans for us, and he is finishing his work with us and others, even beyond our earthly lives if he so chooses. He was our Creator in the beginning. He is our counselor and shepherd in this time. He will be our judge and our joy in the future, world without end.

Green (emeralds):        In God, by Jesus Christ, we are no longer walking dead. We have life, walking evergreen, bearing good fruit in season. As individuals, we are alive. As companions, we have a relationship of vibrant, green health. Our roots, our foundations, are solid, the Word of God itself. When (not if) troubles come; when trials, tests, attacks, adversities come, we will not fall, and what’s more, we’ll remain intact, alive, continuing to bear good fruit, because HE will not fail.

Heart Shape:   As a guideline for our family, we govern our lives by this principle:  “better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.” We do not sacrifice our love to God, to each other, or to others for worldly wealth, money, possessions, positions, or experiences.

The Number Three – two emeralds plus one diamond equals three:  Our marriage relationship is not whole if it does not include three:  God, Todd, and Danielle. Likewise, it is not complete if it is not carried out under God, in God’s ways, and if we do not conduct ourselves towards each other and others out of the God-recreated hearts within us. This we know not only from scripture, but also from experience.

Diamond Between Two Smaller Emeralds:  God has not forsaken us to this world. Our Lord came and left and will come back, but he did not leave us alone in this present time. God is with us:  our teacher, counselor, and guide. God is still with us in every breath and every step.

Clear Diamond Versus Occluded Emeralds:   God, represented by the diamond, is perfect; in him there is no imperfection. His holiness is absolute. If one wants to see original beauty and magnificence far surpassing the remnants that remain in this fallen world, they need to look only to God, for he alone is perfect, holy, and beautiful – the source of all that is good. We, represented by the two emeralds, in comparison, are not perfect...yet. As followers of Jesus Christ, children of the one God, perfection is part of our destiny. However, we are not perfect yet, hence the visible imperfections in the emeralds. Our perfection is a process initiated and continued on by God. He will not quit. Our time is coming...

Size of Diamond Versus Size of Emeralds:     If one ever thought they could stand toe-to-toe with God, they would be sorely mistaken. God is terrifyingly awesome, able to end human existence with but a single breath. Sooner or later, every knee will bow to God’s awesomeness, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is King. Some submit now, some do not. Eventually, all will. God is greater than us. There is no escaping him or his truth. We encourage all to submit to God now. As for our family, we indeed submit.

Emeralds Have Three Sides:   We are multi-facetted beings – not just body, not just mind, not just spirit. We are all three, combined into one whole. We were created in God’s image, three-in-one. Thus, in our interactions, we remember this and do not neglect each other’s full being. To fully care for each other, we care for each other’s body, mind, and spirit in Christ.

Emerald Triangles Point Toward Heart Diamond First, Then To Each Other:  God comes first. God is our first love, not each other. God loved us before anyone or anything else. We do love each other, but in the context that God first loved us, and that God has commanded us to first love him, then each other, in that order. We foresee problems arising in our relationship if we put each other, or anyone or anything else, before God. Similarly, we foresee blessings flowing in and through of our lives as we love God first, then each other and others.