I have spent too much life hiding from would-be community. When I hide, I rob myself of connection and inadvertently disrupt the working of the Holy Spirit. Yikes! That is not what I want to do. Life works better when I remember to let others in.

We get weary, don’t we? Life hurls hurt like beads at a Mardi Gras parade, but we are not eager to catch any of it. Our efforts fail to slap away the hurt. Instead, we end up carrying around a glut of pain we did not ask for. And, to make things worse, we believe we must carry it alone. 

Tears form glossy paths down her cheeks. The room falls still from her revelation of intense trauma, matching her rigid posture. Eyes shift down then back to her as the pain settles on each woman around the circle. What do I say? What could any of us say? Words will not soothe this hurt.  

Slowly, pain gives way to defensive anger. “That’s not on you,” a friend speaks. My mind replays a scene from a different night when that friend was the one sharing her pain with us. This night, she is the woman quick to comfort the one in tears. The exchange is not lost on me. THIS is community. 

I got a well-timed reminder of how community works. The beauty of it struck me. Those moments, stuffed with emotion, grew the group closer. Vulnerability gave birth to closeness. Closeness summoned joy. Joy led to laughter and healing. What’s not to like about that? 

Speaking of vulnerability, if you do not know already, I am writing a book. Saying that out loud still feels cringey. Such confessions lead to expectations. Failure scares me. What if I never deliver on the promise? Will others consider me a fraud for the rest of my life? I don’t want to be the girl who never wrote the book. But, not sharing my life with others causes distance between myself and my community. Since beginning the writing process, some of you have already blessed my heart with your encouragement. Keep it coming. It will take a village to achieve my dream. 

What about you? Have you established a community? If not, that is your first step. Start with one person. Every great journey starts with a first step. If you have a community, are you practicing vulnerability? We can’t get help for what we do not share.

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (CSB)