FAITH, CONNECTION, RELATIONSHIP & COMMUNITY
These four words have been popping up in my life like flashing NEON signs for the past month. My mind has been filled with all kinds of reasons why and me being the type of person that I am naturally resorts to crafty things, of course, and God naturally being the AWESOME God that He is resorts to teaching me what I'm needing to learn in the way that I need to learn the best way that I learn.
It was about this time that I was preparing to go to a speaking engagement. As I was preparing for it so many ideas flooded my mind that I just knew exactly what I wanted to share with those precious ladies. Spiritual things...and of course, it was filled with fun interactive activities, feel good things and then obviously we'd most likely end doing crafty things as we sipped on delicious coffee! I had it all pictured perfectly in my mind! Don't get me wrong...God loves for us to have those types of times to share together but the more I pursued MY agenda the MORE the flashing lights of those four powerful words kept getting brighter and brighter until I couldn't see anything else except for FAITH, CONNECTION, RELATIONSHIP & COMMUNITY.
You'd think I would have gotten it by then being nearly blinded by the bright lights of those powerful words as often as they were appearing, but I'm a pretty determined person when I set my mind into doing something! I WANTED to do MY agenda because I had some really good things, some pretty awesome ideas that I knew would bless those ladies. I just knew they would LOVE them. They definitely were Godly things. God had given me these words at a time in my life when I needed them. I had shared them with others before and they had encouraged and blessed others before. AND the activities I had planned were kind of cool, too! Then God finally said after waiting ever so patiently for me to do my 'But this, God...But that, God...' explaining (aka...whining), "Alrighty, Christy, if you're not going to Be Still and Listen...KNOWING that I AM God and I have THE words, FRESH words...MY WORDS that need to be shared at this moment in time then I'm going to need to grab your attention." He did just that. Not all at once but little by little.
I like to call them Life Interruptions!! God has an entirely different definition because it's in these times that in our rush of life, our tunnel-vision, our stubbornness, our zoning out...that God graces us with His Divine Interventions. These are what I like to also call "Life Hiccups." Things that shake us...move us from where we plant our feet or stop us quickly...things that grip us to stop us from spinning out of control. Most of the time they don't feel good at the moment and the journey through the moment. They can get us all worked up in a twisted mess if we're not placing our focus in the right place where it needs to be.
SO...
I finally put aside MY agenda and here's what God wanted for me to learn and share...
I have a visual way for us to see FAITH, CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS & COMMUNITY in action. I mostly did this for me because God knows that I learn best visually and He is such a gracious God...He threw in a craft for me to do to so I could show you all the beautiful message attached to it.
We are like this ball of string. It represents our emotions, life experiences, personalities, traits, and so on. As you see, this ball of string as it sits is not doing any of what I just mentioned. Its purpose, however, remains the same, but without action applied to it then it remains all balled up...tight, crisscrossing paths keeping its round, bound form. It's not able to do what it was intended for...created for...designed for...deliberately and brilliantly made for. Its creator when creating it did not have in mind the intention of it not serving its purpose. Why would he create it if its not to be of use? It is of use. It is created on purpose and for a purpose just as you and I are. This ball of string absolutely was not intended to be an accessory item to be carried around. It is just too much to hold!
When we hold on to it we're not open to the possibilities that it can be used for.
I have here a circle of "Friends" if you will...now, stick with me here...this is where the visual part comes in...
Each nail represents an individual. As you see in the bottom circle of individuals there is absolutely no connections. No relationships are being developed. No community is being built. No person is making any attempt into investing into any other person. There is complete cut off from one another. The purpose of the string of each individual is no being activated at all by anyone.
The top circle shows individuals that have some interaction going on. Perhaps their paths cross at church they smile and greet one another and go to their regular seats. They see each other at school events, again with cordial greetings, and then perhaps again at the grocery store, gym or Starbucks and yet again the routine greeting once more. There's connection but it's all on the surface. No depth whatsoever.
This next circle of individuals shows a circle of friends growing. Interaction has gotten more involved and active. As you notice the circle is heavy on one side and light on the other. Why is that? There's a whole host of possibilities but let's just try to touch on a few. Perhaps in the circle of friends there's some that tend to invest in only certain individuals for different reasons. Some individuals are trying to open up and share while others are holding back. Or perhaps there are individuals who are super guarded out of fear of getting hurt or shear stubbornness of not being the one to make the first step. Could there be comparisons going on? Not feeling adequate enough? An unaddressed issued that needs resolving? Or something that I struggled with for a number of years in my early adult life..."It isn't for anybody to know what's really going on with me because I have an image to uphold and maintain!" The possibilities of reasons could go on and on but one thing is for sure...it is definitely out of balance.
Now, the connection of this circle of friends is only as strong and continues to grow as the individuals invests into those relationships. These examples show us the significance of connecting. These examples represent people just like you and me in our circles of friends. Now our circles may look different. There may be only 2-3 in your circle of friends while others may have far more while others may only have 1 friend in their circle. Let me just clarify that you can have a circle with 1 friend because there's you, your friend, and Jesus so really that's 3 so that makes a circle! So now that we've got that cleared up, let's get back on track.
This last circle is one that is healthy and one that is what we strive for. Let me tell you how we can work to get this type of community in our relationships as we place our faith in Christ connecting with others in our life journey's.
In our circle of people (friends, mentors, small group, etc.) that God has blessed us to do life with, we simply begin by sharing just a few things about ourselves that others may not know about us. It may be as simple as our favorite color, a food fetish or something quirky that we do. As we invest time we can safely and confidently begin to share something deeper such as a fear, struggle or stronghold. A few words at a time need to be spoken just to get started and allow this "string" to start fulfilling its purpose of connecting and embracing those around us. Please understand that it is absolutely not about getting together and immediately airing out our "dirty laundry" to one another and having this automatic beautiful connection because of it...ummm...NO! It takes time. It takes prayer. It takes God.
As we share, something beautifully unseen is beginning to happen that eventually will be felt. The string is starting to fulfill its intended purpose. And the more we share of our lives and invest in others allowing the string to continue to do its job, these things are also happening...
One, connections are happening as we share about ourselves. There is a starting point when we decide to act on pursuing connections. We start light and small until we begin to see the strength of that connection and safety with that person is true. That's when we begin to share more and deeper things...we let them in as we share our heart. This is what I call a "Heart-String Sister."
Secondly, a safety net is being created. The more and more we connect, encourage, love, walk with and by one another...side by side, God is making something beautiful and SAFE. A place to rest. I like to see this as sort of a hammock. Who doesn't like a good rest under a couple of giant trees cradled safely and snugly in a perfect hammock on a glorious day?! This is what this connection is like, a safe place to rest and relax. Psalm 9:9 in the Message says, "God's a safe house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you're never sorry you knocked." Let me tell you, God is absolutely our safe house and we are to run to Him, but we don't always have to run alone!
God made you and me for relationships and not just any relationship...CLOSE relationships.
Hebrews 10:24-25 in AMP says, "And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities. Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaches." God blesses us with others in our life to have those relationships. God uses our willingness to open up and share with others to weave those tender moments together connecting us and strengthening the relationships through Him.
When we realize that we don't have to do this life all alone and carry our ball of string around, then our connections grow. But remember, growing takes time. We can't take our ball of twine and fast pitch it to the first person we see just because we're so accustomed to FAST and NOW. If we went that route then we would either have a terrible mess or a horrible injury or BOTH!! Growing requires for us to first have a willing heart and to action, then allowing God to direct our steps as we love one another...encourage one another...and just be there for one another in all times of our seasons. As we continue to do this that safety net becomes stronger and stronger.
Well, for most of my adult Christian life I kept all my likes, my identities (being a wife, a mom, Bible Study leader, mentor, friend, volunteer, crafter, sister, neighbor...well, you get the idea), I kept them all separate from one another. I didn't allow God to weave any of what made me who I am to be woven together. Instead, they each got their own pretty little bedazzled box that I kept them in. I neatly tucked them away on a shelf (repurposed, of course) until the time called for that particular box.
That worked for me...for a while. Until I noticed that I always felt depleted and empty no matter how much I thought I was filling up those boxes. It was in 2010 when my heart literally felt shriveled up. My heart was lacking. I didn't know what it was because I was a believer and I was doing everything that I thought I needed to do. I even invited Christ along for MY ride! I thought I was doing a great job keeping up. I had all my 'bedazzled' boxes organized looking oh so good on the shelf. They were sparkling and radiating and breathtaking. Others even admired them. Compliments often flowed my way. All my effort went into keeping them looking awesome on the outside.
Whenever I needed something I would go to one of those boxes replacing the one before it. I had done this for so long that I found that when I opened the box I was finding remnants of what used to be inside. I was giving all that I had, looking good while I did it and then I'd slam that lid quickly not allowing myself to be filled by God or others. I didn't want others to see what was really inside. I looked good on the outside...I put on "face" when I needed to, but I didn't let anyone, including God, to get too close. If I did then it would require for me to be transparent and trusting. Others would see things in me that aren't so attractive. What would they think of me? I've got some really cruddy things happening inside that would be exposed. Surely, I'm the only one going through this type of situation/circumstance! No one else has experienced what I've experienced, they have no idea how to handle me. If they only knew what I went through, would they still want to be around me? I had a whole list of excuses lined up as to why I didn't let anyone in. This included God, a lot. I was shameful, fearful and it was easier at the time to shrink into myself and put on an image I wanted others to see. These boxes of mine were like the round, bound ball of sting that is hiding what's beneath and denying its purpose.
I was doing everything that I thought I was supposed to be doing, including my daily devotions, serving at church, volunteering, you know...all the goody good stuff that looks good even to myself! I continued in this accelerated, unremarkable routine growing very, very tired. I felt like I was on a giant sized hamster wheel of life. I was running, checking items off my to-do list routinely and I got absolutely nowhere. I was trying to do it all on MY terms. And yes, God was one of the boxes that I would check off but not always the first or rarely was He at the top!
Serving Christ isn't all about being free from difficulty or eliminating all of our problems. It does, however, give us hope, unspeakable joy and peace in times when typically we shouldn't be experiencing them. Reality often seems to have more obstacles, pain, chaos, hurt and tension but there is a God that sees everything that we are going through and wants us to hold on tightly to Him through all that life throws at us. He will take all that life throws at us and offer us His Strength to be calm, be tender, be content in Him and build opportunities. He wants us to be made complete, made entirely, upright, solid, sound, safe and healthy. God restores our brokenness...our incompleteness...our faults. He heals our hurts...our wounds...our bodies. He restores our lives. Jeremiah 30:17 tells us this, "For I will restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord..."
Through time, faith, connections, and relationships, I began to grow more and more in Him . He brought me to a place where I have a lovely group of faithful and committed women who love God and are willing to be in the midst of my mess to see me through just as much as I am with theirs.
I want to encourage each of you from what I have journeyed through. Believe me, I am nowhere close to having it altogether or figured out, but I no longer keep everything in bedazzled boxes. I'm allowing God to take my life string and connect it with others in my life creating beautiful relationships, connections and community.
I've come to learn to give it all to God and then be OK with who I am and WHOSE I am. If I don't impress others or become BFF's with everyone that I meet, then that's alright. It doesn't change anything about me. I am who I am and that's enough because Christ dying on that Cross for you and for me made it ENOUGH! I am a daughter of the Creator of the Universe! He calls me His own! He sings over me! He desires a relationship with me and I'm worried what others in this world may think of me?! I think not! I've come to be OK with being with just Jesus. Sometimes I need to be with just Him, but He is so good and faithful that He blesses me so abundantly by placing beautiful people in my life to share it with me.
Luke 1:45 says, "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her."
Friends, Jesus keeps His Word! God is the ultimate Promise Maker and Promise Keeper. He will give you victories. He will give you a future. Move forward. Move out into what He has for you.
Allow Him to grow you through your Faith, Connections, Relationships and Communities.
He is doing a Beautiful thing!
Christy Krezman
Rosette Ministry
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