life as I know it…

the truth is, i am beginning to see that i don't really know life. or at least, not life to the full as Jesus talks about. it seems to me that we have perverted the idea of Christian living in our capitalist, individualistic American society. i am not turning "anti-America" or whatever, i am just talking about things that i get caught up in and how i distract myself from truth.

as you may or may not know, i am a fairly independent person. i live by myself, i like to go to the movies by myself, i would rather spend an evening reading alone than going to a crowded bar, or something equally as overwhelmingly social. my second sentence as a child was "i do it myself" (right after "i want a bite"). i have always lived under the assumption that the best version of myself would be independent, self-sufficient, and every other synonym you can think of.

i am beginning to see that this goal of self-sufficiency is to my detriment. the Lord is smacking me in the face with conviction about this. the rebuke is coming from all sides. my eyes are being opened to the fact that the full life Jesus talks about over and over again cannot be achieved alone. we need a community of believers.

communion, community, body of Christ. i don't think it is a coincidence that Jesus talks about the bread and the wine in terms of His body and also the believers in terms of His body. not only are we to partake of the Lord's Supper, but we are also to partake of each other. no, i am not referring to cannibalism, but i am talking about being in tune with the church, the real church, the body of Christ.

so, what does real community look like?? i don't know. but let's find out together. (that's for any of you apple folks out there). i think that Acts (the book in the bible) is a great place to start. or any of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). read the words Jesus speaks about community. read the words of the early believers who were living in community.

i am currently reading The Irresistible Revolution, which i think is a great resource. it gives a picture of what a community might look like. but i don't think all communities need to be so extreme, if you will. they will, by nature, be revolutionary though. i mean, really, really sharing life together is going to flip our worlds upside down.

think about it this way...we look at the individual as the strongest entity. we secretly (or outright) look down upon people who "need a helping hand." does that even make sense?? we might preach mottos like "strength in numbers" but yearn for a solitary hero to emerge and win the battle. the bible says that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. when we reinforce levees we want to double the steel, not just use one layer.

the kind of thinking that leads to “lone ranger” mentalities needs to cease. i am talking to myself here. i take pride (read: i am prideful) in doing things alone. i love telling people that i'll go out to dinner by myself or that i drove by myself across the country to move alone. i need to shed this disease of self-sufficiency and dive into the truth of community.

Jesus wants us to be together. He wants us to be together in loving, sharing, and supportive communities. this also doesn't just mean people who are like us. we don't want the body of Christ to be all thumbs or all ears or all wallets. GOD wants us to experience Him in different ways and He wants His people to come together because of His love for us.

this may seem old hat for some of you, but i am going through a revolution and i want my community to join. so let's share life and experience the fullness that Christ wants us to have.

***the article above is written by new contributor Kristin Friedery. She is a volunteer organizer in New Orleans, LA. This is Kristin's first piece for Peacemaker.***