Community part 1
Community – Let Us make man in Our image…. Gen 1:26a
Girls giggled amongst themselves as joy dressed their faces with wide smiles. My little girl’s eyes lit up during the birthday party of her friend. I did not know the other moms in the room but attempted to make small talk with little success. As I stood there awkwardly, my teen years stirred to memory. During those years, I had honed the ability to cloak my shyness and insecurities under a fragile façade of confidence leaving me to think my comfort lied in having few close friends. I thought by adulthood this was no longer a façade. I thought I had become quite comfortable with who I am such that deep friendships were not integral to my existence but as I stood there feeling like an outcast while the other moms laughed and entertained each other with their mom stories, I realized I had gotten so good at hiding my true self that it had become a natural state of my existence, an effortless portrayal of the confident woman I wanted to be. I was convincingly quite comfortable with a circle of friends that stretched almost unnoticeably outside of family, that is, until that moment.
No matter what season of life, there is something about having a connection with others. The desire I realize did not dissipate with age even if the motivation or the expectations does. This experience left me wondering what the true driving force behind the façade I had created and why this façade could no longer stand. I believe this particular portion of the creation story, shines some light on this so lets consider a few things God is saying on this subject of connectedness.
God is community. Gen 1:26 “let us make man”. Throughout the creation story, God said let there be but here God called together the son and the holy spirit to create man. As a collective, they shaped man each as participants, not spectators. As each did His part, whether it making a part of the outside, the personality or putting the insides in the right place, each played a role. This mean, with our very creation, the full essence of everything He is came together for our creation. In doing so, their working together gave us an intimate encounter with the sense of connection with another causing the essence of who they are as a connected trinity implanted within us the inexplicable desire for connection to others.
God created community. As part of His grand design, the process for each of us to come into this world required a connection to another person for months to grow followed by years to develop further under the supervision, reliance and care of another before we were able to take on our own tasks. God has designed us from the beginning of creation to need connections with others.
The only time in the creation story God said “it is not good” came when Adam was noted to be alone, without an equal counterpart, without a human connection. This interruption in flow from all that was good until that moment is explained by His love of community. He desires that we know the joy inherent in being part of a community. This is exhibited throughout creation with animal groups from schools of fish, a pride of lions or a pack of wolves. God designed creation to commune. The reason for this might be easily understood with continued observance of nature. Watch any animal kingdom type of program and see how predator attack their prey. For example, lions study and observe an animal group and then attack through fear causing a group of animals to scatter leaving the most defenseless one alone and prime for attack. Satan prowls the earth like a lion seeking someone to devour (1Peter 5:8). Satan is no different. He uses tactics including fear to keep us isolated priming us for his attacks. In isolation, we are most vulnerable. God knows it and satan does too.
I justified not being fully connected as protection for myself, my children, my dreams, my home but when I’m being honest with myself, I realize it’s really fear that kept my circle closed and tight. Fear of rejection, fear of ridicule, fear of exposure or fear of seemingly being out of control have all masqueraded as a prop for the façade of confidence. Yet the desire to be connected with others never dissipated. The reason is because fear no matter what form it takes is counter to the nature of who God created us to be. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear…”, 2Tim 1:7. Fear is satan’s tool to keep us isolated for an easier defeat, to keep us from growing stronger and to keep us from helping others do the same. Fear is his method to divide and conquer.
Don’t let fear win
Whatever it is that keeps you from integrating into a community, consider what you are missing. There is another mom or mom group that can go to battle in prayer with you or for you to strengthen you as you go through your mom journey. There is a mom who might need your encouragement or can offer guidance to you as you navigate the concerns and questions of rearing your child. There is a spiritual mother God has put in place for you to receive wisdom to challenge you or lift some of the burdens that can weaken and distract making us easier prey for satan. As we are strengthened and covered, so are our children while we rest under our wing and behind the hedge of protection a community can build. Any of these connections offer strength and protection for the journey and enhance the walk towards the abundant life God promised.
Don’t let fear keep you away from your community. You are more vulnerable on the outskirts. Besides its less fun there anyway.
Next time, we will discuss more about the God’s design for community including the importance of our role in it. Until next time, happy sowing!
Nurture the seed: What is keeping you from connecting to others? Pray for God to lead you where to connect and reveal to you the things that are keeping you from doing so as He helps work these things out.
Sow the seed: It is not good that man be alone Gen 1:26a
