It is time to be honest and vulnerable with you regarding the places and views in my life where I am being showed how unsorted I truly am.
One of the most influential and valuable people in my life is a friend who sets out to challenge others on what they believe and how their faith gets hands and feet. This friend has been rubbing off on me to.
One of the things he pointed out regarding community and fellowship is the difference between together and next to. When looking at toddlers playing, you will notice the difference between playing next to each other in relation to playing together. I can definitely relate to this as I tend to life next to others. I live my life detached from others. This in effect leaves me lonely, and in truth nullifies what I call relationship with others, and what it truly is.
Setting out at the beginning of this year to try to live and understand the meaning of relationship, my worldly logic had to change to see what it means. Only the logic of Christ can show the true meaning when put to practice. To not only be changed by His truth, but also by the people He sets up in our lives to influence us. The brutality of my honesty in a gathering a while back revealed my own faulty views. I confessed that I do not like others rubbing off on me. You can imagine my surprise then I found this view horribly skewed. In my ignorant selfish practises, I robbed myself and others of much needed community.
If the best thing for me is God, and the best thing for you is God, and He askes us to love others as we loves ourselves, then our faith becomes priority to be shared and sculpted by others. I find stories of faith and life extremely interesting, and I value the sharing of these stories greatly. Therefor, the question puzzling me is the true value of these stories if it does not change us, bring us closer in relationship and build unity in love to become the faithfully mature bride.
