Carrying our own burdens can be so wearisome. Sharing those burdens with others feels like it may make things worse. This is because vulnerability implies risk. Nevertheless, we have this innate craving for intimate connection with others. This past Sunday, Pastor Mike said, “Human beings are made for connection, but we have settled for acceptance.”

It is true that God calls us to live others-centered lives. He calls us to lay down our lives for our friends (John 15:13) and count others as more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). But this doesn’t mean that God wants us to shame ourselves, neglect ourselves, or perpetually beat ourselves up internally. It doesn’t mean that God wants us to tolerate self-abuse or abuse from others. A sense of self-worth has a place in the Christian life.

For me, shopping is a mission. I want to be in and out in 10 minutes or less. For my wife and two girls, shopping is a day-long quest that involves numerous stores and at least one Starbucks break. So, on those unfortunate occasions when I tag along (or get dragged) to go shopping with them, I have one goal in mind: finding a comfy chair.

What was I born to do? Many of us may have wrestled with this question. All the possibilities can bring a heavy dose of stress and pressure. But as we go through life, we learn which pursuits we should consider and which ones we should cross off the list.

Over the years, our parents, family members, teachers, and coaches shared with us words of wisdom about life. Sometimes the advice came out of left field and didn’t make much sense. For example, how could one’s eyes be bigger than their stomach? Would our faces really get stuck that way if we didn’t stop with that smirk?

Our words can help as well as hurt. Unfortunately, there are times when we're producing the burn, and for that, we must confess to God and seek forgiveness, if possible, from those we have hurt. Counting our words teaches us to be conscious of them and their power to bless or curse those around us. \

I waved goodbye to my parents, ready to embark on my college experience. Before I could turn around, I watched in horror as their car came to a screeching halt. My mom hopped out and began heading toward me. "C'mon, mom...time to cut the cord," I muttered. Even though she wanted one last hug, that wasn't the main reason for her returning. She needed to tell me how a washer and dryer worked.

Authenticity has achieved buzzword status in our culture. Everywhere we look, people are clamoring for relationships, businesses, and organizations that are the "real deal." From the boardroom to the dining room, the drive to be authentic has seemingly risen to one of our top desires. This push for authenticity has even become a trendy part of church vernacular. We search for churches that allow us to "come as we are."

Words are a powerful tool that we can use for good and harm. The only thing words are incapable of doing is remaining neutral. Want to know what a person is like? Solomon suggests listening to the words that come out of their mouth. Jesus confirms this line of thinking in Matthew 12:34 when he says, "the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." And as we continue to explore the book of Titus, we see Paul urges us to be wise in the words that we speak.

We absorb more than we realize from the people we spend time with. Unless we are actively aware of what we are doing and what we are saying, we will slowly morph our behaviors and words towards those we are doing life with.

It was quite possibly the most laughable “college kid” thing I’ve done to date. About a month ago, I moved back to Chapel Hill to begin my senior year at the best university in the world (sorry, not sorry to my friends who back a different shade of blue). I was the first of my housemates to move in, so my kitchen was lacking quite a few tools. I had a hankering for sweet potatoes, but I failed to remember that my housemate wouldn’t be bringing our knife set for another week.

Distinctness. As believers in Christ, we must stand out and live differently. Our message of Christ's love gets lost amongst the crowd when we look like everyone else. We then forfeit and squander our influence.

Jesus summed up the entire law with the simple command to love God and others. In this single statement, Jesus revealed humanity's greatest need and the highest call for us as Christians. But, unfortunately, for whatever reason, whether it be fear, selfishness, or just plain laziness, this weighty issue of faith sometimes does not sit well with our stomachs.

We cannot influence the world around us in a meaningful way if we don't depend on His empowering grace. We can try our hardest to be kind, philanthropic, and brave—but apart from the Spirit of God, our acts of "goodness" can be self-motivated, shallow, and short-sighted.

As followers of Christ, people we encounter should recognize there is something different about us. That should be at the forefront of our minds in every facet of life. Christ calls us to interact with the world in distinct ways; through compassion, care, boldness and truth.

Whether we realize it or not, we all have influence. We all have the power to help or hurt those around us in life-altering ways. We can uplift others with an encouraging word, or we can crush them with criticism and condemnation. We can pray for others and humbly serve them, or we can judge them harshly and label them as “irredeemable.” Whether by perpetuating God’s love or the world’s judgment, each and every one of us has a direct and lasting impact on the lives of others.

When I was in college, I met a group of people who changed the trajectory of my life. I wasn’t walking with God at the time, and if I’m being honest, I didn’t feel like I was really missing out. I had friends, I was doing well in school, I was working and making money, all the boxes of “adult life” seemed to be checked. Then after work one night, a co-worker invited me over to play games and something about the people I met there was different. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was at the time, but I truly believe they were living out the picture of the early church that Luke is describing in the verses above.

When you are a child, friendships may be a little easier because there are less demands. But eventually, life has a way of taking friendships from a natural occurrence to something you have to put on the calendar.

We all need people in our lives like Paul, people who will be direct and honest and remind us to focus our eyes on Jesus. Paul loved the people of Corinth, but he did not love their actions. Love doesn’t turn a blind eye and pretend things are fine. Love steps in and reminds others of the One that has authority over all things. 

I'm often guilty of misunderstanding mercy. I confuse thinking about people's needs and sometimes agonizing, worrying, and getting emotional to mean I am merciful and compassionate. But, we can't mistake feelings for faith. Aching over something and acting on behalf of someone are two vastly different things. One makes us mistakenly feel good, while the other brings hope and healing to those in need.