Thoughts

You know how when so much happens and you just don't have to think or process?  Some times we can have too much time to think.  We can think ourselves into a depression, a raging lunatic or calm ourselves with the truth of God's word.  


I've been thinking about community.  You can find it in different places.  I know that growing up my first experience with community was my family.  When we would go to NY and cousins, aunts and uncles would come together.  There was tons of food, fighting and laughter.  I loved it!  I would sit at the table and soak it all in.  I remember the first time I was able to finally decipher Pig Latin!  I shouted "Yeah, we're going to the fair!"  I wasn't allowed to hang out at the table anymore.  :{


As kids in our neighborhood, we would run around all day playing in woods, at each others houses ~ the moms were interchangeable, you listened to them all!  We had forts, played games, went sledding and put on plays.  I punched a boy in the nose when he said girls can't play baseball.  He went running home with a bloody nose and I played baseball.  (It's still kinda funny)  My friend, Colleen taught me to ride my bike and swim under water.  I remember the moms just being there for us and each other, popping in and out of every one's homes.  I have great memories from that neighborhood.  Some not so great, but that's when your community surrounds you and strengthens you.


I have found community in places where you are there to accomplish a goal.  In YWAM (Biz and I holding each other up over a tiny sink on a rocking boat in the middle of the ocean, while taking turns throwing up).  Or at LifeHouse ( being a part of a birth). Or at church or work, where you are working on a project, it gets crazy and a friendship develops out of frustration and laughter.
  You may not have ever met that person before, but together in that situation, where you need to depend on each other and you find out that you have more things in common, than not.  That forms a bond and a friendship, though the time together may end, that doesn't.  The stories we could share with eachother!!  I would love to get a Chi, sit and laugh and cry as we shared our stories...   


I am sad that my children have never experienced the childhood I had with my crazy, NY family.  That's why for me keeping us together and giving them that strong sense of belonging is so important.  We are built to belong to something!  Life is so scattered today, I think we are all long for a community, a place to belong, be accepted, fought for and loved!  I know how lost I feel when I don't connect with people.  


God told Abe to take his family with him on his journey into the unknown, Jesus had the disciples, Paul had Timothy, Moses had Aaron, Joshua and a ton of people following him, Jonah ~ well, he had a whale, you can't win them all.  Let's see, I'm going off the top of my head.  Esther had Mordecai,  Ruth had her mother-in-law (mmm), David had Jonathan and his mighty men, some of the prophets had side kicks.  Well, you get the idea.  You can add to the list.


We are not meant to walk through life alone.  


"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!  It is like precious oil poured on the head...For there the Lord bestows his blessings, even life forevermore."  Ps. 133 1, 2a, 3b


Celebrate your community today, whatever it looks like.  May you be strengthened, encouraged, loved and your stomach ache from laughing hard and often.


Have a fab day!
All my love ~
Jodi xoxo