July 17, 2017
As a high school student, all different types of opportunities arise that haven’t been an option before. Along with these new opportunities, comes new temptations. Many are led far astray from the morals they once held, even to the point that they might not recognize themselves. I lead off with this idea of how our choices truly effect our lives to point towards my main idea for this post, the importance of community. When faced with daring temptations, one standing alone can be easily persuaded majority of the time; however, “two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12, New International Version). It is much easier to turn down a temptation that could negatively change your future if you have people supporting you. The power of a positive, nurturing community around you can have tremendous effects on your life. I’ve seen these effects in my own. Now let me be clear, having friends is different than having a true community. Having friends is great, yet a having a real community is much greater. The word “friends” can be used in a casual sense where they are just people you enjoy hanging with and getting to know. Being friends with someone is easy and sometimes effortless if you enjoy spending time with them. On the other hand, building your community takes work and can be hard at times. When you build a community, you strive towards creating a group of people you know very well, lean into when you face trouble, and count on to hold you accountable. When you encounter a rough time with a friend, it might be easy to break those ties and move on to someone else, yet when you go through a rough time with someone in your community, you can trust that the strength of those relationships will endure. You may be asking yourself how this applies to you. Well frankly, it strongly applies to everyone. We were not created by the Lord to do life alone, not without Him and not without those He carefully places in our lives. Life will beat you down; we’ve all experienced that. Although, the real importance of those tough times is how we react to it. With community, we are empowered and strengthened by those who care about us. I challenge you to consciously work on your friends together forming a community. Whether you maybe need to venture off and form new relationships or strengthen the ones you already take part in, a real community is everything. My prayer for each of you is that you would take this challenge and put it into play.
With love, C