Today, I watched on as my beloved Everton lost to arch rivals Liverpool 4-0 in the English Premier League (it's a soccer league, for the uninformed). It was truly a disappointing match for me to watch. Nothing seemed to go right when it came to how we played. Every time we thought we were getting close to scoring, Liverpool countered with a lightning fast attack the other way to score on our helpless defense. You can watch the highlights here.
However, I was unable to watch the game in the presence of anyone who enjoys soccer. It was enjoyable to watch the game. But it would have so much more enjoyable to watch it with others. This is the point I am getting at:
Everything good is better when you enjoy it in community with others who enjoy it.
Soccer is fun to follow, but as an American man in the Midwest, I don't have much of a community to enjoy it with, nonetheless to support Everton with me. It is so much more enjoyable to watch it with other people who care about it as much I do.
To be honest with you, I was pouting a little bit today about all of this...not being able to watch the Everton game with anyone who cares about football (the real football). I was feeling down and a wee bit depressed that I have to enjoy my passions - soccer and specialty coffee - with so few people. But then the Lord began to change my thought process.
I asked myself what the most important part of my life was. The answer was obvious - almost so obvious that I had forgotten about it - my faith. I mean seriously, if I had to pick the best part of my life in which to enjoy enjoy community with others, it would be my faith. There are many parts of my life, but if I had to choose between them all which to enjoy in a passionate community, it would most certainly have to be my pursuit of Jesus. I can leave soccer behind, I can leave coffee behind, I can leave everything behind. But if I had to navigate my own faith journey alone, I would go crazy because it is at the heart of everything I do.
I so badly need others around me to encourage me in the pursuit of Christ. Loving Jesus is a complete joy, about which I could write for hours. But when I am surrounded by others who are passionately loving Jesus, my joy is made even more complete. Therefore, I choose to intentionally involve myself in Christian community because I know that my pursuit of Christ is made so much better in the presence of others who are also pursuing him.
So this is my encouragement to you today:
Press into community...even if you're ashamed of who you are. Jesus isn't. He loves you. He love you so intensely and passionately that all of your faults are forgotten in the empty space of forgiveness and grace. And admit it...you need others in your life to help you love him back. You know you can't do this on your own. You are hard-wired for community. That's why you can understand my frustration with having to enjoy something on my own. It is part of who you are to engage in community.
You can choose to surround yourself with people who care a lot about the things in your life that get you going - music, the Seahawks, politics, mountain biking, girls, tacos, or TOMS - and there is nothing inherently wrong with them. But I encourage you to also intentionally surround yourself with the kind of people who make you want to love Jesus even more, and you'll never walk alone.
P.S. I want to give a shout out to my wife, my best friends Mark, David, and Ryan, and of course my awesome little brother Benjamin for being those people in my life who have inspired me to love Jesus even more passionately. I couldn't do it without you!
However, I was unable to watch the game in the presence of anyone who enjoys soccer. It was enjoyable to watch the game. But it would have so much more enjoyable to watch it with others. This is the point I am getting at:
Everything good is better when you enjoy it in community with others who enjoy it.
Soccer is fun to follow, but as an American man in the Midwest, I don't have much of a community to enjoy it with, nonetheless to support Everton with me. It is so much more enjoyable to watch it with other people who care about it as much I do.
To be honest with you, I was pouting a little bit today about all of this...not being able to watch the Everton game with anyone who cares about football (the real football). I was feeling down and a wee bit depressed that I have to enjoy my passions - soccer and specialty coffee - with so few people. But then the Lord began to change my thought process.
I asked myself what the most important part of my life was. The answer was obvious - almost so obvious that I had forgotten about it - my faith. I mean seriously, if I had to pick the best part of my life in which to enjoy enjoy community with others, it would be my faith. There are many parts of my life, but if I had to choose between them all which to enjoy in a passionate community, it would most certainly have to be my pursuit of Jesus. I can leave soccer behind, I can leave coffee behind, I can leave everything behind. But if I had to navigate my own faith journey alone, I would go crazy because it is at the heart of everything I do.
So this is my encouragement to you today:
Press into community...even if you're ashamed of who you are. Jesus isn't. He loves you. He love you so intensely and passionately that all of your faults are forgotten in the empty space of forgiveness and grace. And admit it...you need others in your life to help you love him back. You know you can't do this on your own. You are hard-wired for community. That's why you can understand my frustration with having to enjoy something on my own. It is part of who you are to engage in community.
You can choose to surround yourself with people who care a lot about the things in your life that get you going - music, the Seahawks, politics, mountain biking, girls, tacos, or TOMS - and there is nothing inherently wrong with them. But I encourage you to also intentionally surround yourself with the kind of people who make you want to love Jesus even more, and you'll never walk alone.
"And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him - a threefold cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 (ESV)
"Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer." Hebrews 10:25 (CEV)
P.S. I want to give a shout out to my wife, my best friends Mark, David, and Ryan, and of course my awesome little brother Benjamin for being those people in my life who have inspired me to love Jesus even more passionately. I couldn't do it without you!
