Life in Community: Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” -Acts 2:42-47

Y’all, I’ll be the first to tell you living life in community is challenging. 

But it is also very rewarding.

So far on the race, I’ve had zero real alone-time.  I’ve had to learn how to find alone-time within a communal lifestyle.  This often looks like putting in headphones, finding a corner of a room to isolate (as best as possible), and communicating with the Lord with other humans right next to me.  

To be quite honest, this wouldn’t be easy for me if it weren’t for God’s grace in this.  

But, the reality is that because of Jesus I’ve actually grown to appreciate my community more than I ever thought possible. 

This year, I’ve asked the Lord to refine me.  

Believe me, when you ask for refinement, God gives it like a giant slap in the face (or really, multiple slaps in the face).  

You know what life in community paired with refinement is like?  It’s like having all your major faults and character flaws blown up under a microscope. 

Living in community allows us each to see the best and the worst in each other.

But in doing so, we are calling each other higher.  We are speaking truth in love.  We are gently rebuking and loving each other for the purpose of becoming more like Jesus. 

It’s downright hard some days, but that’s real.  And what’s more, it’s better.  

I asked for refinement.  I asked God to make me a better servant, a better friend, a better wife, and ultimately a better woman.  

In the past, I’ve had a million distractions and a million ways to avoid working on my deep-rooted character flaws.  

Yes, I have amazing friends in the States, but those friends don’t live with me.  Yes, they might see my faults, but it doesn’t affect them enough most of the time to address them. 

Here, I have brothers and sisters who boldly address these actions and reactions because they have to live with them.  (And this is why we do feedback–both encouraging and constructive–every day.)

Are we meant to be living life in deeper community? 

Yes, I believe so.  

How can we expect to call each other higher or speak truth in love if our interpersonal relationships are halted at such a shallow level? 

In the States, we often think of our “community” as our families, our co-workers, and our friends whom we see once or twice a week at most. 

But what if we modeled our lifestyles like the original church in Acts? 

What if our community consisted of doing life all the time within a home church environment? 

What if we ate together more often, prayed together and for each other more, and lived life (through the blessings and the hardships) together?

Do you think you’d be able to run from God who is calling you higher?