The Source of Our Connections
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
Insight
We all long for real community, don't we? That sense of being genuinely known and accepted for who we are. A place where we can take off the masks, be authentic, and experience rich, life-giving relationships. But sadly, real community is rare in our world today.
Why is that? The main problem is that we often gather around social connections or interests - jobs, hobbies, sports teams, social status. There is nothing wrong with those things, and they might get conversations started, but they do not provide a foundation for the kind of deep, formative relationships we crave.
You see, the source of our connection will determine the strength and depth of the bond we experience. We need something more substantial, more lasting than just shared interests or circumstances. We need to be grounded in and defined by something greater than ourselves.
That something is the love of God. When His love is the source of our connections and the reason we gather together, everything changes. His love provides the security and acceptance we need to be vulnerable and authentic with each other. His love supplies the grace to overlook faults and forgive mistakes. His love anchors us in an eternal reality bigger than our trivial differences.
God's love through Christ is the great equalizer. It reminds each of us that we are all broken people in need of a Savior. This is our common humanity underneath all the external things that tend to divide us. And because of God's love, we can strip off pretenses and insecurities. We don't have to posture or impress. We can simply belong and find freedom to become who we were created to be.
That environment - where we are safe to share our struggles and be celebrated for who we are despite our flaws - that's the fertile soil where deep community can grow. That trusted space where we are truly known provides the courage to know others in return. What we share, our honest struggles and hopes, breaks down walls and cultivates understanding.
Over time, those formative connections, secured by God's love, allow us to more fully grasp the extravagant grace we've received in Christ. We see that love embodied and passed between one another. And in giving and receiving that humble, sacrificial love together, we experience God's love more profoundly.
Real community isn't accidental or automatic. We have to keep centering ourselves on God's transforming love. We have to keep bringing our authentic selves, even the messy and broken parts. We have to keep making ourselves available, taking the risk to share our lives. Because real community - the kind that changes us from the inside out - is rare and precious, and worth fighting for.
Reflection
Who are the people in your life who know you at a deep level - the good, bad, and ugly? What has that level of shared life and understanding meant to you?
When has sharing your struggles, weaknesses, or "messy parts" with someone deepened your connection rather than pushed them away? How can remembering that experience give you courage?
Further Practice
If you are interested in furthering today’s practice, take some time today to think about your closest relationships. What are those connections primarily centered around or based on? Consider how you can be more intentional about making yourself available and taking risks to go deeper with others.
Prayer
Lord, we long for genuine community, where we can be authentic and accepted. Help us center our relationships on Your boundless love, finding security and courage to be vulnerable. May Your love be the foundation of deep, life-giving connections where we know and are known. Amen.