“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6:2)

As believers in Christ, we carry a sense of responsibility for each other, known as community. Growing up, my family, my church friends, and my school friends formed my communities. I didn’t have to search for them; they were just there. When I started kindergarten, one of my cousins was in my class, along with several of the girls I knew from church. I can still remember spending the day with my cousins or friends from church, making cookies, riding bikes, watching movies, or playing with makeup. We were in and out of each other’s homes and lives, and I thought that was just how it was supposed to be.

As an adult, community doesn’t often come ready-made the way it did when I was a child. We live such busy lives that it’s easy to become disconnected. Finding community takes effort. You have to put yourself out there and look for groups to which you can belong. Putting yourself out there is hard and something I’ve struggled with for most of my adult life. I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t know how to find it. When I worked in an office, I had work friends, but we rarely saw each other outside of the office. After my divorce, I sought out Sunday school groups to find people with similar interests. I gained some wonderful friends, but I still struggled to find people to socialize with outside of church activities.

Over the last three years, I’ve made a significant effort to find community. After moving to a new city, I volunteered and joined a small group at church, and I joined writing groups. And after years of searching, God has led me to my group―more than one group, actually. When God provides, he provides in abundance, and I now have both my writing community and my small group community.

Like any relationship, every community has growing pains. Both of my community groups have experienced ups and downs. We feel more connected at certain times than at others. When this happens, we talk about it and try to find ways to re-establish our connection. We get together regularly outside of our writing or small group time, and this effort has paid huge dividends in the closeness of each group. We also spend time together one-on-one to develop individual friendships as well.

In my small group, we schedule coffee dates and get together regularly to celebrate each other’s achievements. During the month of July, we toured LifeChurch campuses throughout the Oklahoma City metro area. In case you’re not familiar with LifeChurch, the At the Movies message series is offered each July. We watch movie clips as our pastor connects themes in the movies with spiritual truths. Each campus lobby is decorated as the set of a different popular movie, and people attend who don’t normally go to church.

I won’t lie―by the time the tour ended, we were all exhausted. But spending time together each weekend worshiping, praying, and discussing our week over dinner allowed us to grow closer.

Communities change and grow over time. People move away, or new people join, and the dynamic of the group changes. But when you’re committed to building community, you work through the growing pains with God’s guidance. After all, living in community was his idea, and he will help us find those who will strengthen us and encourage us in our walk with him if we have an open heart and will continue searching.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the community I have around me―my family, my writing groups, and my small group from church. You brought people into my life for a purpose, and I pray that we will walk together and grow in relationship with each other and with you. Amen.