The completing joy of community.

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

To me, community is the tangible representation of love. I have seen many examples of love being displayed individually or in particular instances. But I think that the love found in a community of close knit friends is the most beautiful of all.

Community is messy--I think that's why love found within its walls is so special. To find a group of people who are able to walk together through life faithfully and full of compassion is a unique feat worth paying attention to. Relationships take work. Relationships between couples take even more work. Relationships between and among more than three people can be seemingly impossible.

And I'm not talking about those communities in which you know peoples' names but not their hearts. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones where you see someone in passing and promise to get coffee or catch up "when things get less busy." Let's be honest here--it's not going to happen. I always promise to give up that game, but fear of seeming rude seems to overrule that decision. It should probably be more important to me to be genuine than popular, but again, let's be honest. Most of the time, we love ourselves way more than we love others.

So, I'm talking about those small and rare communities that really live out life together. That attend every wedding, graduation, baby shower or dinner party that there is. That are present in the best of times and also in the really hard times. Most of all, the ones that are there in the pretty ugly times. The times where you are perhaps the worst version of yourself, but they still show up and love you and remind you of who you truly are again. Those are the communities I think that we were made to create and sustain, and the ones that we so often give up on.

I will be the first to say, I am absolutely terrible at community stuff. I am 100% an introvert by nature. I love being by myself. I have alot of fun by myself. It's so much easier for me to exist on my own. It's much safer, and much less complicated. You will most often find me in the corner at parties, or clinging to someone I am familiar with. I can be extroverted if I want to and am trying really hard, but it is most definitely not my first choice.

But lately, I have been craving community. It's true. All my friends are really surprised when we get together and I beg everyone to hang out or stay up or play a game together. I think it's the loss of them and the dispersion of our lives that has made me this way. I have realized how blessed I was to have such close, loving friends to experience the last five years with.

Most of all, I have been learning the healing nature of communities and those friendships within them. I was almost positive that I needed to spend this summer in solitude, prayer, and intense personal time with God. And I have needed that--it has centered me and grown my heart in many ways. But the most and best healing that has come has been from my time spent with friends. They have slowly and surely brought the Sarah back out that has been missing for the past year.


They have listened to my stories and my heartache, have encouraged me and told me truth about who I am and who God has always been. They have made me laugh so hard I cry and moved me with their own thoughts on faith and courage and life. They have been genuine--both in their love and vulnerability. They have shared themseleves in humility and offered me much, much grace.

If you find yourself in a community like this, hold on to them. Make the effort. Buy the ticket, drive the miles to see and spend time with them. They are the most important relationships in your life. Love them well because it brings you joy, and most of all, because it makes you complete.