Why Community Matters

Why Community Matters

The start of a new year always feels like a reset button to me.

On January 1, I write myself a letter. It’s a letter that I won’t read until December 31. I guess it’s a note to the future me – from a year ago – to prepare me for the year ahead. I know. That was confusing. But, I write with a sense of future confidence. Declaring who it is I want to become, and thanking God for the progress made toward it.

I write down goals and dreams; in all areas of life. I write about relationships and my career. I write about my thought life and how I want to see God show up. And then I write a paragraph of gratitude, for all the ways God did show up. In some ways, my letter is a thank you note.

There is power in words. Our words. Both the written and spoken word. I believe it does something. It announces to the evil of this world and in the heavenly places, “You will not win in my life.” That’s why I write it all down.

Goals, for me, are not about what I want to accomplish as they are more about who I want to become. When I am clear on who I want to become, it’s easier for me to think through what I need to do or change to move in the right direction.

 And I don’t do it alone.

I can write my letter, set my goals, and detail out my dreams, but if I don’t invite people into the process with me, my success rate decreases dramatically.

That’s because not only did God hard-wire us to be deeply connected to one another, but more than that, God designed it so that we would be most successful when we link arms with one another in life.

What does this look like for me? It looks like meeting week in and week out with a small group of like-minded women, where I share my hopes and dreams, the things that are hard, and the things that are not. We speak life into one another’s lives. We battle together in prayer for both the big and small things. We ask hard questions. We are intentional.

These trusted few know the contents of my letter. And they are committed to helping me move in the right direction so that when December 31 comes, it’s a day of celebration and not regret.

And I could do all of this alone. You could too. But God never intended us to. Community matters. Always.

And now for the shameless plug: If you are single, trying to navigate this world of dating, but more importantly, dating well, you need to know you are not alone. If you’re looking for extra encouragement, you can order Beyond the Swipe here.

If you are a church leader, wanting to create great community experiences for the people in your church, you can download this FREE eBook here. It’s called, How to Recruit the Right Type of Small Group Leaders.

Because for all us, community matters.