The Junk Drawer: Bloodstained Pews - Thursday
Galatians 6:2
Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (NLT)
Earlier this year, some of our good friends shared that they’d recently had a miscarriage. It absolutely devastated them, and they are, of course, still healing from that experience. My husband and I were grateful to be able to walk with them in that, to love them, to encourage them, and to be a listening ear as they grieved. We grieved along with them, and we were able to remind them of the faithfulness of God in their lives. There’s not a nice bow on the end of that story, but their faith in Jesus has carried them through and we are honored to have been able to love them well over these last few months.
We said this in yesterday’s devotional, but the Church is not a building. It is a community of people. In Galatians, we are reminded to share each other’s burdens, and it’s vital to the health of the Church that we “do life with” each other.
As the story I shared shows, this isn’t always going to be pretty. In fact, it will often be messy because life throws us curveballs when we least expect them. But the difference between going through hard things with good community and without is love. The support of a community of people who love you deeply is a gift from God, and here at Southland, we believe it’s an integral part of living the Christian life because it removes isolation.
Without community, Satan can convince us that isolation is best and deceive us into thinking the worst about ourselves, about others, about our situation, and about God. Life can feel hopeless. Living with faith in Jesus and a community of believers, on the other hand, allows those closest to you to grieve with you, to encourage you, to speak truth into your life when hope seems furthest, to let you know that you’re not walking that road alone.
Thursday’s Reflection
How can you come alongside those in your community and show them the love of Jesus when things in life get hard? If you’re still searching for good community, we’d love for you to join one of our groups. Head to southland.church/groups to see all the group offerings and find the best fit for you!