A Listening Heart
Take the first step towards healing and growth. Book your free call now and let’s journey together in faith and friendship.
Are you feeling isolated and lonely? Do you need to connect with a Christian community of believers who get you?
Michelle arrived first, and soon the others joined for the weekly 90-minute gathering. As each person joined, they received a warm welcome and two questions
How are you? How was your week?
As the ladies catch up, the virtual room fills with conversations and laughter. These women have met virtually for the last 18 months because of the pandemic.
Who are these women? Why are they gathering?
They are a community of sisters in the women’s small group at LifeSpring church. We meet weekly for Bible study, fellowship, fun, and mutual encouragement.
Together we’ve created an atmosphere where each sister feels safe to be herself and answer the question, “How are you?” with honesty.
What a small group Christian community looks like?
The women range in age from mid-’20s to over 90 years, different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. We love Jesus and are at various stages of growth in our spiritual journey.
We focus on a book of the Bible over several months. Each week we study a chapter or two and take turns to read a few verses.
As we dive into the discussion of the passage, we ask questions, share experiences and how we can apply the principles in our lives. Afterward, we go around and share what touched us or was meaningful to us as a take-away.
Sometimes, the passage may prompt someone to share a struggle or prayer need. As the gathering ends, Michelle closes with a prayer.
The conversation continues during the week in the group chat. The women share songs, scripture verses, prayer needs, births, and other events in their lives.
So how about you? Do you have a community that you connect with regularly, or are you isolated and feeling lonely?
You and I need connection. We aren’t meant to go through life alone feeling isolated.
God’s desire is for us to connect and help each other. He put us in His family, so we never feel alone but can support one another. Paul’s words, “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), still apply to us today.
In a community, we can support each other through prayer and receive mutual encouragement, just as Paul and the Romans.
When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. Romans 1:12 NLT
We need each other to walk this journey of life in Christ faithfully. What does that look like?
In community, our faith is stretched and strengthened. We learn to be Jesus’ hands and feet as we serve one another.
For example, I sent a link to a song on YouTube with one of my sisters in the small group. Weeks later, she sent a message expressing how the music blessed her and even shared it with another friend. Her text prompted me to listen to that song again. Guess what! It was exactly what I needed that day. We were both mutually encouraged.
If you are feeling alone and in need of a community, I get it. May I encourage you to look for a Christian community or a Bible-believing church and plug into a small group there? As you get to know the people, you will be encouraged and challenged to grow in your faith.
As I look back over the last 18 months, these sisters helped me not to feel alone during the pandemic and strengthened my faith.
Spending time with people who get you and are looking to grow their faith will help you overcome isolation and loneliness. It will connect you with the heart of God and improve your relationship with yourself and others.
Friendship with other believers in Jesus brings joy and encourages us to trust God together. Get connected today!
In what ways will you get out of your comfort zone so you can receive and give support to others?
Need coaching support to discover your identity, renew your confidence, or improve your relationships? Book a FREE Discovery Call Here.
You may also be interested in Mutual and Beneficial Relationships and 3 Ways to Experience Unity in the Christian Community
