Two Way Street

When it comes to your relationships are you driving alone on a one way road? Or are you driving together on a two way highway?

For relationships to truly flourish and grow strong you need to be working together, for each other, sharing the drive. 

Life is going to get crazy. That's a given. You will have other relationships you are working to maintain as well. You will meet new people along the way and work on building trust and relationships with them. You have a job or jobs. And you have your family. So much driving, so much work. That's a lot to balance. 

Sometimes it gets overwhelming trying to balance it all, thats when it's important to have people in your life sharing that burden with you. Someone willing to share the drive. But sometimes you might start to feel like you're the only one driving. This is when you must ask yourself, who else is driving with me? Who else is working towards maintaining and strengthening the relationship with you? Who is expecting you to do all the driving?

Friendships shouldn't work like that. You both need to be putting in the effort. Like I said life can get really busy but take the time to text each other a reminder that you're thinking of each other. Even a "I miss you" GIF. Those are my favorite personally. Don't always wait for them to tell you when they are free, send them a text and ask them when is the next time you guys can hang out. Or even set up some Skype or FaceTime dates. We have way too much technology at our finger tips for us to not put in even the simplest of effort, so share the road. 

Just like your relationship with Jesus it's important to put in that time and effort. To maintain and keep any relationship strong you need to put in the time. Just as you make time for your daily Devos, make time for your friends and family as well. 

But even if you're the one doing all the driving, you're not driving alone. Jesus is always shot gun. 

An Open Letter to my Heartbroken, Tired, and Weary Community.

You’re heartbroken. I feel you.

You’re tired. I feel you.

You’re weary. I FEEL YOU.

I feel as you feel.

                Community, we’ve been through a lot together. We’ve celebrated together; we suffered together, we’ve felt together, and never failed to stand together. I couldn’t be more blessed to be a part of a community that stands together, comfort, supports and loves together. Without those things I wouldn’t have made it through my own tragedy. But because you felt what I felt a small part of the burden was lifted. It was lifted from me. It was lifted from my family. You made sure we felt your love, your support, your compassion and love.

                The church teaches of community. They teach of the importance of togetherness/fellowship. They teach of love, support, compassion towards your community. (If they don’t I’d suggest finding a new church.) They may be talking about finding that community in church. Don’t get me wrong I feel the community from my church, but I feel it from you all as well community.

When I search the definition of community this is what I find,

                                Community: noun.

1.       A group of people living in the same place or having characteristic in common.

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

But if I were to define community I would chose to write this.

                                Community: LOVE.

1.       A place I call home, a place I feel love, supported, and compassion from others. A place where I see Jesus’ work.

Every time we suffer we come out stronger. God is building an army of believers! Are we going to face the challenges ahead to stand up to that call from God? With every trial we face together we show Him we are up to the challenge. We stand taller, stronger and still together. Wow. Community. My community. OUR community.

Community, I know you’re tired. I know you’re heartbroken. I know you’re weary. I am too. This morning I told myself I was over feeling tired, weary and heartbroken. But when I took a look at my community, the things we’ve been through and how it’s shaped our community. How it’s strengthened our community. How could I give into the hurt and heartbreak? So take a look at your community, our community. Let’s stand together. We’ve done it before. We’re doing it now. And will most likely have to do it again in the future. Always remember, “He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29.

So to my tired, weary, heartbroken community, we will gain strength, we will find the power and will to keep going. We will find these things in Him. We will find them in each other. He has built a community of people that I’m proud to be a part of. Seek His strength. Seek your community’s strength.

Thanks community for teaching so much about His love, His strength, His compassion. Thanks for living a Christ like life. Thanks for always going above and beyond to help your neighbor. Thank you for standing together. Thank you for praying together. Thank you. 

My strength. Feel that.

My love. Feel that.

My support. Feel that.

My compassion. FEEL THAT.

Feel what I feel as I once felt what you felt. I want to lift some of your burden community.