We're in This Together
One of the biggest lies out there is that we can do this by ourselves.
And what I mean by "this" is "life."
It's almost like this idea is inborn, a strand of our DNA. If you doubt me, hang out with a two year old for five minutes. At some point, that child will say: "I'll do it!" (or some variation of this phrase).
But this just isn't true.
When God created Adam, he said: "It is not good to man to be alone." Meaning, it's not good to people to be alone. We weren't meant to be solitary, we weren't meant to go through life in our own little spheres without interacting with others, or sharing in life with them.
The other lie we believe, and this is one we are perhaps less likely to admit: the people who really matter are those who are like us. Who are our age, who like the things we like, who value the same things we value, who look the same way we look.
But this isn't true either. In fact, to believe this lie is to embrace a darker side of our sinful nature: conditional love and fear. Neither of these human traits come from God. He loves unconditionally, and He does not want us to fear people. He created all people in His image, and He loves unconditionally, and the only one we're supposed to fear (in the healthy and respectful sense) is Him.
So what does this mean for you and me?
We in the church need one another, for our own growth, so that we and the people in our church are known and loved. This is what God wants for His people: to be connected to one another, to gather together, share a meal, share a laugh, pray together, talk about Him together. And when we do this well, we grow personally, and we grow as a community: we can invite more people into our community, so that they may be known and loved by God and by others.
This past Saturday and Sunday, we had Grouplink, which gave our community the chance to meet journey group and ministry group leaders and sign up to join them. And there's still time for you to join, too. All you have to do is go to harborofhope.org/jg.
Yes, this may be something that you've never done before. Or you may not feel the need. But I promise you: the best way you can feel like Harbor of Hope Church is your home and your church family is to sign up for one of these groups and make space in your life for it. Try it out for a season: the Winter Season of Grouplife starts next week and ends the week of Palm Sunday. Sign up today and see for yourself how good it is for God's people live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)