Celebrate Community

When we move and act as one, we validate the gospel to the world. —John 17:23

This past week at church, my husband and I took nearly an hour to get to our car. From the time service let out, we kept running into individuals we had not seen recently to enjoy a quick moment to catch up.

My husband commented when we finally made our way to the car, what an honor it is to celebrate community with so many who we have seen getting engaged, overcoming illness, recovering from divorce, becoming new parents, or just new to the area and wanting to know their presence mattered on a Sunday morning.I am blessed by the healthy and thriving community available through Cindy Dennis Ministries and my church, but community is not limited to a ministry, church, family or neighborhood.Maybe you are right now wishing you could belong somewhere and enjoy celebrating community with others especially now over the holidays.

A healthy and thriving community of people who do life together is available to all of us. Community is God’s idea and He created us to need and long for connection with others. If you are longing for community and can’t find it, then maybe you should consider bringing community to the people around you. It is interesting how when we focus our energy on giving of ourselves to meet the needs of others,we will find our needs being miraculously met (See 2 Corinthians 9:7-8).

Giving grows out of the heart—otherwise, you’ve reluctantly grumbled “yes” because you felt you had to or because you couldn’t say “no,” but this isn’t the way God wants it. For we know that “God loves a cheerful giver.” God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share. —2 Corinthians 9:7-8 Celebrating the community around you requires a willingness to give of yourself—your time, talents,and treasures. Getting to know someone new, maybe following up with someone you have not connected with in a while requires effort on your part.

God knows your needs and desires and He will see them met and even exceeded, but in the meantime, there is a celebration to enjoy when your focus is off your needs and placed on meeting the needs of others (see Acts 20:35). It may mean looking at life with fresh perspective and choosing to step out in faith when you do not find what you are looking for at first. Decide to start planting seeds for your future harvest (see Galatians 6:7-8).

Remember that building a community doesn’t happen overnight so celebrate the moments and enjoy the process along the way. After a while, as you rely on God to direct your steps and guide you through the process, you will realize you’re connected in a community.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cindy