For the past eight years, I have been on a journey trying to figure this out. Eight years ago, it seemed to come easy. My family and I experienced one of the best seasons of our life as weekly we met with friends and neighbors in our homes to share a meal, to talk about life, and discuss faith. This community of people were committed to one another. Many of us not only gathered in one another’s homes, but we also gathered weekly to specifically focus on our faith. This community of people attended one another’s special events like birthday parties, sporting events, and were often found serving each other, and others in need. To all those involved, it felt like we had a large extended family, we knew we had others who were supporting us, and we welcomed others to join us.
Then life changed. Some people moved, others got new jobs, and ultimately our commitments shifted, and the community slowly dissolved. Some of us still talk. Others I have not spoken to for years. For me and my family, this community was as real as it got. Friends and neighbors truly being real with one another, as we shared faith and life. Wow….I confess that I miss it.
When you think about your life, is there a separation between what you believe about God and the way in which you live? Do you develop relationships with other people? When you engage people, in the day to day, do you engage them based upon your job title or responsibility, or do you engage them as a person of faith? Is it possible to live in such a way that there is no separation between your faith and life? Is it possible to develop relationships with people where you can be a person of faith, who happens to have certain responsibilities in society? Is it possible to develop relationships where you are able to be real and share both your faith and life, with others?
Fast forward to the present, and as a result of COVID, social distancing and isolation are the new normal. Honestly, right now we are unsure how or if we should interact with other people. Yet I believe that we are meant to share faith and life with others. And as I say that, I think about how separate my faith and life currently are. I go to work, do my job, and come home. At home I take care of my family responsibilities, but I don’t interact much with the neighbors. Our kids are engaged in sports, so we attend their events and come home. We attend a worship gathering at a local church and then we come home. Is this how it is supposed to be? Does anyone else feel isolated? Does anyone else feel alone?
Is it possible to naturally bridge the gap between your faith and life and develop relationships with those who you live, work, learn and play with, to the point that the type of community where faith and life can be shared, is developed? Over the next few days I am inviting you to think with me, about what it could look like to overcome this feeling of living in a distant society, and begin to dream about what it could look like as you share your faith and life with others.
