Why I Love My Church
Sunday has become one of my favorite days of the week. It's a time where I can see my friends, see mentors/pastors, hear God proclaimed, and settle with the community of people I joyfully call my own. But, it’s only one day out of the seven day week. The relationships that have been formed is where the sweetest moments have been captured.
For most of my life I’ve had a mentor or spiritual director of some sort within the churches I’ve attended. From 6th - 12th grade, I had one group of guys with one mentor who encouraged us, taught us, and displayed wisdom we wouldn’t have been able to witness otherwise. It’s one of the biggest blessings I’ve ever had. Once I started college, I had no sense of community. I didn’t know where to go to church, who to ask for help from, or what God was leading me towards. Everything I had ever known was suddenly gone in the blink of an eye. Yet through a rather crazy twist of events, I eventually transferred colleges, joined a church (as well as interning at it), and felt like things were shifting towards the right direction. I met a few new friends, had a mentor again, and my soul felt like it was catching up with itself after years of estrangement in a land unknown to me.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, I was being (trans)formed into a new kind of person, and I loved it. Even when it was hard, I couldn’t get enough of it. But there was one man who shaped me, even if he didn’t know it. When I saw him preach, I witnessed a man who desired to spur his people on because he genuinely longed to see them love God and be connected to one another. My heart was set aflame. So, I asked him to lunch, every month, around the same time of the month, at the same time, but different places (because who doesn’t like trying new foods?). In our conversations he listened to me, asked me what was going on in my life, counseled me well, and allowed me to see what a pastor's heart was like when truly surrendered to God. Every single time we finished eating and went our separate ways, I left encouraged and grateful to God for having a pastor and a man of God like this in my life who cares for my soul and well being.
This isn’t to say that church hurt isn’t real or that we shouldn’t come to terms with some of the horrific events that have taken place by those who claim to know God yet revile him with their treatment of His people. But it is to say that there are good churches and Godly communities of people who are waiting for you to join their midst simply so that they can love you well and show you what the love of God looks like in everyday normal people. If you aren’t part of a community of people who follow the way of Jesus, go join one. They may not fit all of your preferences, it’ll be tough knowing where to go and when to stay, but trust the Spirit of God to lead you to a place where you can display your gifts, serve others, love people, and submit to the authority of God because of its leading to true human flourishing and betterment. I’m fervently praying for you, friend. God bless.