This encouragement for Renovation Year by John Eldredge is a life changer! Having a fellowship of the heart is a battle worth fighting for…
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is, for brothers to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1 NASB)
A true community is something you will have to fight for. Fight for it like you bail out of a life raft during a storm at sea. You need this thing to work. Don’t ditch it and jump back on the cruise ship. This is the church; this is all you have. Without it, you’ll go down. Or back to prison.
Suddenly all those “one anothers” in Scripture make sense. Love one another. Bear one another’s burdens. Forgive one another. Acts of kindness become deeply meaningful because you know you are at war. We know full well that we’re all facing battles of our own, giving each other the benefit of the doubt. That’s why you must know each other’s stories, know how to “read” one an-other. A word of encouragement can heal a wound; a choice to forgive can destroy a stronghold. You never knew your simple acts were so weighty. It’s what we’ve come to call “lifestyle warfare.”
Community is no substitute for God. Others aren’t meant to fill the aching void in your heart. You need community, but you also need to be away with God, alone. You first go to God alone, so that you have something to bring back to your community.
O Jesus, lead me to the community you have for me. Show me who and where and how I could join or help form a fellowship of the heart. I give you my fears about it. My doubts and resignation.
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