Growing up I loved Sesame Street! I loved that every morning I could count on the characters to entertain me, and let me be apart of their crew. Sesame Street was so influential because it had the ability to make kids feel like they were apart of the neighborhood, and apart of the Sesame Street family. The creators of Sesame Street understood the importance of living life within a healthy & positive community, and succeeded in creating a nation wide family of 3-6 year olds who counted on their favorite morning friends. This is where I first learned about relationships.....
Lately, I’ve realized how much I take for granted the relationships I get to have because of Christ. I was recently talking with a friend who refuses to relocate in his career because all of his friends live in Fort Wayne. I understand him not wanting to leave his friends, but my first thought was “you can always just make new ones,” but the more I thought about it, the more I questioned it. Growing up, I easily made friends wherever I went; I think it has had a lot to do with how I was raised and my personality. Next I looked at the quality of my friendships, and realized that there have been several people over the years that I have felt a special heart connection with. Then I analyzed my relationships more closely and realized that the relationships I treasure the most are with my brothers & sisters in Christ.
It’s incredible to me that no matter where I go in the world, I immediately have a connection with someone because of Christ. Not just something in common, like “Oh you like Keith Urban, so do I!”
No, I have a spiritual, radical life changing experience that someone across the world in a tiny village can relate too. We may come from different backgrounds, and have experienced Christ in different ways, but we share the fact that we have been swept away by the love of Jesus Christ and have allowed his love to transform the very core of who we are. Sharing an experience like this with someone, how could we be anything but close!
Jesus said he would come wherever two or three were gathered in his name. Why? What makes a difference if a person loves God but keeps to themselves? From the very beginning God desired relationships; he designed us to work best when we are in relationships and walking with others. My dad has a sign in his office that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go with others.” And it’s so true. God desires that we have a community of Christ followers living life with us because He works best through US.
US = Me + you + Jesus.
For a while, I thought I was a good enough Christian where I would only go to people when I had a serious crisis or needed prayer. Then God showed me that I needed to surround myself with people to live the everyday with. Living life in community is living life to the fullest!
