It has been quite a while since I posted anything to our blog…but for the 2 or 3 of you who actually read these, I hope you enjoy! This will be quite brief, but it is something that I have been thinking about lately, so I thought I would share.
Disclaimer: In a previous post, I expressed my opinion that counseling, which is incredibly popular today, can be helpful when it is done with the hope of the gospel. And while I think there is much in counseling and therapy that can be helpful, it can also be dangerous in the cases where it is contrary to biblical truth. I say this because I know that there are a lot of strong opinions about the benefits and value of counseling out there, and I simply want to go on record stating that I neither wholly discount nor wholly endorse all aspects of counseling.
Now to the point. I recently helped someone get in to see a counselor, and the wait was long. I have heard this from several people in recent days. And if I recall properly, this started during Covid. We all got locked up in our homes, isolated from one another, hyped up by the media to be over-afraid and/or under-concerned, etc., etc. The need for counselors is still at an all time high, wait lists remain long, and people aren’t getting the help they want/need as soon as they would like.
Here is what is so fascinating to me about all of this. We are more connected than we have ever been, we have more information at our fingertips than we have ever had, and yet we are seeking out help from people. You can look up a wealth of information on the internet about whatever ails you, more information in fact than your counselor has ever read. If you suffer from anxiety, you can find entire websites that are thoroughly devoted to helping you. This is profound! And I think it has some incredible implications for our lives.
Why is this important? Because we were made for community, not isolation. We were made for relationships, not information. We can see this is in so many ways in the Bible and our own experiences every day. Whether with Israel in the Old Testament or the Church in the New Testament, God has gathered his people into communities. Articles abound about the terrible effects that isolation during Covid caused to people. We were made for community and there is no way to escape this.
Here is the problem we all face, however. In our information age where we all carry devices in our pockets that can give us a wealth of information at any moment, anywhere…we have started to believe that information can do what God designed relationships to do. Information is important, and in our age there really is no excuse as to why we cannot or should not be informed. However, God has given relationships a special place in our lives.
I would encourage everyone, especially those who call Trinity where I pastor their home, to have 3 communities. The first community is a worshipping community, and by this I mean a church. Gather together with your church each week to hear God’s Word preached and to respond in song and prayer…and do it with others. The second community is a relational community. Here at Trinity we call these Growth Groups. This is a community of people who meet in homes to care for one another, pray for one another, study God’s Word together, etc. This is a community where we know each other, and are known, at a much higher level. And lastly we should all have a personal community. This is the 3 or 4 people who know you best. Who can speak truth into your life even when it is hard to hear, the people who can call you out and you will listen to. These are the people who will laugh with you, cry with you, celebrate with you, and even say the hard things.
To be clear, God has given us both. There is a wealth of information for us in God’s Word. God has always communicated with his people, and if you know me, you know how important I believe God’s Word to be. But God also gave us his Son and his Spirit, both of whom we can have a real relationship with through faith. Whenever and however we get to enter eternity, for those is us who believe we get to be with God forever. For sure we will have his Word forever, but more than that we will be with him forever.
So where and how do you cultivate community in your life? Where is your home church? Does your home church know you? Are you connecting deeper than just showing up on Sundays? Do you cultivate relationships where people can help you follow Jesus closer and better?
I pray that you may know the joy of being part of the relationships for which you were created!