Wrecked emotionally. That is what happens to me when I scroll through the posts in the Mundane Faithfulness Community. Often, I am undone. There is praise. There are prayer requests. There are people afraid to share their hard. There are encouragers. Prayer warriors. People who remember a post and take the time to go back and check on someone. I often find myself praying, nodding, weeping. I imagine what Kara would think if she could see this group. See the timid reaching out. People asking for prayer, but also for advice about how to love each other better.
I learn about how to care well for others. I am reminded life is short and to seize every moment. I am reminded Heaven is not something to be afraid of but to be ready for. To celebrate.
I'm an introvert. When my phone rings I cower under a pillow. I've always been afraid to say the wrong thing. I have often been timid in relationships because I could get hurt. They could ask too much of me. Maybe more than I want to give. Or maybe more than I think I'm capable of.
But the beauty in this community and in the one around you—or at least the potential one around you—is that many of us make up the hands and feet of Jesus. We cannot do it alone. Whether you are suffering or reaching out to someone who is suffering, grab a hand. Ask for prayer. Ask for wisdom. Watch. Wait. And we will do it together. We will wait for him to show us that he's always been ready even when we weren't. That He has a plan even when we don't. And that loving big—whether it's online or in your neighborhood, at your school or crazily enough, at your church—it all matters.
I understand some of you are scared. I see the comments from people that say, Hey, showing up is scary. And hard. I wrote the book with Kara and I'm still scared sometimes. I'm guessing that's because Satan wants to remind me that I am a failure. That I am selfish. That I have done this wrong before and I will do it wrong in the future. That, God forbid, there might be some people I don't want to show up for.
And then he will remind me that I am loved even when I do it wrong. Even when I run away. And he will continue to push me and shove me and mold me until I reach Heaven.
If you don't have it all together…welcome to the party. Here, we do apologies and hugs. We do, I don’t know what to say. And, dare I say, we do it pretty well.
What fears are keeping you from showing up for someone else today? What lies does Satan try to remind you of to convince you not to try to reach out to others? What does Scripture say about who we are in Christ? How does Scripture combat those lies? Who is someone you can reach toward in the midst of their pain? In what ways can you just show up for them?
