Community!

The past and coming week was and is going to be such a busy week. It has become more and more apparent to me that I am an introvert. The reason being, if given the choice of being in a crowd or one on one, I would pick the one on one. Quality over quantity? Well that's what I did over the past week! I am so blessed to have gotten the chance to catch up with a good amount of friends. These Sisters in Christ come in all different age groups from my Sunday school teachers to friends to PK who babysat me.

Next year will be my final full year as a student and to be honest, my heart has been yearning to go overseas. Perhaps this burning passion to teach somewhere in Asia isn't within the Lord's will. But as I met up with some Sisters who are experiencing the workforce, I am ever so encouraged to see their love for the Lord lit up brighter than ever even after graduating from undergraduate schools.

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Community. What is community?

A community of believers, etch makers of Christ. Brothers and sisters in Christ. The Body of Christ. So what difference does it make if and when we do surround ourselves with those who edify, rebuke, love us? How much time should we spend with them? What if I'm in a relationship and it's hard to balance the two or even more? What if I don't have a community? What if the community doesn't seem to offer much to me?

I cannot emphasize enough on the importance of community. After spending the past two years within and without a community and evaluating my decisions in life, I now understand why valuing and creating relationships with my Brothers and Sisters is such an essential aspect.

The Aspects of Community:
I have always wondered why it is so much easier for me to form relationships and be myself at home than being away in a college environment. Being away from home places community at a different playing field. The reason why I feel more at ease when I am at home is because relationships are built off of years and years of history. However, friendships created from college are based off of experiencing new things together without a curfew to account for. Spending hours and hours studying together, doing the unthinkable, seeing and confronting the shortcomings of others, and seeing and growing through the grace of God together, worshiping and reading the Bible together late at night, and opening up your house to friends. Several of these relationships might seem to last a short while, but a few stay close by.

Ponder On:
After college, do I have a community to come back to?
Do I have accountability brothers and sisters in Christ to help me in time of struggles or just to hang out with?
Am I ready to spend majority of my time alone at work, internships, etc?
Am I serving as much as I did in college?
Is the Lord sufficient enough to sustain and sanctify me?
Am I motivated enough to read the Word or spend quiet time alone without people being there?
Have I made enough effort to preserve friendships in college?