I am passionate about...

Blog-tember Day 5: "I am passionate about____________"

Oh goodness. There are so many things about which I am passionate, but I think the one thing that has been on my heart as of late is this- community. Life is so much better with people. Infinitely better, I believe. Whether you are gathered based on Who you worship or a favorite sport, being with others who can push and challenge you is life-changing. I had the immense privilege of visiting Africa twice this summer- first to Uganda and then to Kenya. What struck me and my teammates the most was the amazing sense of community we found ourselves being welcomed into simply for visiting and spending time with them.

For me, life is about relationships with people. It is about the time spent with others building them up and being challenged by them as you learn about what makes them tick. I cannot tell you the myriad ways in which I have been exhorted by someone else simply by listening to them tell their story. At times I feel like a broken record, as I write about many of the same themes and messages. But I feel as though this message of finding your people and those who will be with you during the good and bad is one that cannot be repeated often enough. The message cannot be trite. Because when it comes down to it, who do we have other than our friends and family to uphold us when life is not what we expected? We run to Jesus, yes, but we need physical arms that will hold us and shoulders that we can cry on. We need someone who is there to help us pick up the pieces when things shatter and to pop the champagne when the dream finally comes true. 

I'm not an expert at this. I want to be better at cultivating community with people who are not just like me by learning from them, too. There is a process for these things, and I'm learning that time gives grace upon grace to allow us to figure it all out. And for that, I am so very grateful.