Community.

Commonality.

Closeness.

Three words that scarred me in the past. Three words that now inspire me to move forward.

Have you ever felt like a soul living between two worlds, but never really fitting in with either one? Like the grains of sand upon the shore, a speck lost in the hoards of millions of others. Dull. Forgettable. Unknown. That’s what you see when you look in the mirror of your life.

You’re not made of the same substance as the rich soil a few yards up the road…..strong, prosperous, and beautiful ― able to cradle a Redwood for hundreds of years.

Nope. Not you.

But, you’re also not draped out on the ocean floor, soothed and rocked to sleep by the ever moving current, where the vast, undiscovered world is lovingly baptized in the deep.

Nope. Not you, either.

You’re stuck in the middle. No matter how hard you’ve tried…..you’ve always gotten it wrong. You don’t fit in. You’ve felt the bitter sting of judgment and condemnation most of your life. They label and mark you….and worst of all, you believe it.

Life has taught me to build my walls, and build them high.

But a year and a half ago, God did the unexpected… He turned our world upside down. He gave us a new life. A new community. And new eyes to see.

In Him, I don’t need walls.

In Him, I belong.

In Him, I am wanted. (<==== Click to tweet)

He never meant for us to walk this road alone. Some of the first words in the Bible tell us, “It is not good for the man to be alone.“(Genesis 2:18 NIV)

As daunting as it may feel to pursue your God-sized dreams, or to live the life that He is calling you to, the facts are… we all need encouragement for when the road gets tough, a shoulder to cry on when we feel like we’ve failed, and a cheerleader to believe in us when we doubt our abilities.

For it is through each other, that God expresses His love for us.  (<==== Click to tweet)

And what I once thought was so rare and virtually nonexistent, has overpowered my heart and shattered my walls in one blow.

These people here, the love found in this community of Christ…

It is strong.

It is real.

It is amazing.

And I am learning, THAT is the beauty of the gospel. THAT is the true light of Christ ― it reaches into every situation, no matter how different it is, and creates something beautiful from the ashes. It can restore. It can heal. It can bring people together in unity, as it supersedes all boundaries and limitations.

God is good and God brings healing. And not only have I found that here in my new community in real life, but I’ve also found it in this online community of God-size dreamers. They know all about pain, failure, grief, love, big-comebacks, and giant leaps of faith. These are my kind of women… and they are yours too.

It is no accident that you’re here…Do you need a friend to encourage your journey and your dreams? This team, that’s what we’re here for. We’d love to get to know you and cheer you on!

“In friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another…the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting–any of these chances might have kept us apart.

But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,’ can truly say to every group of Christian friends, ‘Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.’

The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others.”  

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

This is life together.

The good, the bad, the painful, the ugly, the beautiful, the happy, the amazing…

May God bless you on your journey, and may you ever find those that God has chosen for you― to bring out your best, for Him.

Shared by Lisa Larson