The "C" Word

Community. (This may be different from the "c" word you were thinking of.) 

Truthfully, I've found myself hating the term lately-- for a myriad of reasons. But for the sake of this post, those reasons are neither here or there. What does matter is how community has changed my life. 

Tonight, I spent the evening celebrating a family that "adopted" me five years ago when I started going to Fuller. I ate meals at their house 1-2 times a week during the two years I was working on my Master's. I took naps on their couch. I went with them to Costa Rica and Nicaragua for my practicum. I earnestly prayed and walked with them through their difficulty getting pregnant. Then, we celebrated doubly when they had their son. I have had countless conversations over cafecito at their house and/or at Starbucks.

To put it simply, they have been one of the best representations of community that I have ever known. And I have been changed because of their love.

You have to understand: five years ago, I was quite rough around the edges. I had grown up feeling mostly unloved. When you feel unloved, you begin to feel unlovable-- and act accordingly.

But, can I tell you? These people loved me even when I was acting pretty unlovable. When I look back on it, I am confident that God was using them to melt away the ice around my heart. I've never *once* felt fear of condemnation from them. And they celebrated me, even when I didn't feel like I was someone worth celebrating.

Fast-forwarding five years later, my heart is healed in ways that I never thought possible. This is thanks, in large part, to the role that these friends (my community) have played in my life.

My friends are moving onto a new phase of life and, with them, they take a little piece of my heart. But I also feel like they're leaving a piece of their hearts too. It's the piece that has imprinted in me the knowledge of what it's like to be loved-- and how to imprint that onto the hearts of others. 

The "love chapter" in 1 Corinthians defines love the best:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, and it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Thank you, Dez and Os, for showing me what love (and community) is all about.