The Five Essentials of Cultivating: Community

Well, after a busy Christmas season, I'm back here on the Cultivate blog. I know you all missed me! Okay, just kidding.

Anyway, over my past few posts, I've taken some time to talk about different things that have been big "Cultivate essentials" for me. We talked about the importance of humility first, and then the importance of learning how to live a generous, giving lifestyle. Last time, we talked about the importance of utilitzing worship as a way to grow in our relationship with God. This week, we hit the topic of community.

Here at Suncrest, our church recognizes the importance of community, hence one of our 4 C's being "Connect in relationships where truth meets life." And to be honest, I think that for me, connecting in community with other people is so important to having a healthy relationship with God.

People just have this way of being able to rub off on you and help smooth out your rough edges. In Proverbs 27:17, we're told that just as iron sharpens iron, one person "sharpens" another. Chances are that you have some relationships in your life that are like that. Back home in Columbus, I have a friend named Ciara, and she just has this super pure heart and love for Jesus where you just can't help but have that rub off on you when you spend time with her. One of my friends in my community group is Emily Cioroianu, and when you hear her talk about how much she cares for Africa, you can't help but care too. Even at work, people like Bobby Jackson, Mike Ward, Kay Roberts, and Tina Hines have this incredible commitment to doing great work that continually "sharpens" me and pushes me to work harder and get better at what I do.

I think that community makes better. It helps us relate to and learn how to love others, which is part of the new commandment that Christ gave us in John 15:12. And as we learn to love and relate to others, I think that we learn to love and relate to God better, too. For much of my life, I just didn't believe it. But I finally took the "community group" plunge last year, and much to my surprise, discovered that to be the truth.

So, if you're not, I'd love to encourage you to be a part of a community group. Take the plunge and embrace discovering the power of community for yourself! It is amazing!

wb