When Gavyn was born and we were thrown into the deep end of special needs, I thought we had community. In a small way we did, but not really. We had our online community, but that's not good when you need someone to bring you a meal. We had church community, but we weren't very invested in anyone and they with us. They might drop off a meal but they weren't going to run an errand or clean my kitchen. You see, that's what real community is.
Real community is rolling up your shirt sleeves and getting into the dirty of people's lives. It's listening to the hard parts, all of them. It's cleaning their kitchen or doing their laundry when they've been sick. It's stopping by with a meal or coffee even when it wasn't asked for. Real community is about investing in others lives. It's one of the most rewarding things I have learned to do over the last five years. We have gotten deep down in people's dirty lives. It's tough. It keeps you up at night. It also fills you with joy. When you see the growth, when you see the dots connecting, it's rewarding. Being the hands and feet of Jesus, there is something to it! It does something for your soul. To open your messy house, to not clean your house so you can help a friend. Maybe grab take out for your family so you have time to make a meal for a friend who's hurting. To live in sacrificial community.
I have invested in others lives to see them grow in Jesus. And now, when I need them, I see them investing in me for the same reason. I don't do it to get something though. I'm doing it to give something. We all need people in our lives that we can call at 3am with an emergency. We all crave and need real people, who love us for who we are, and are willing to stick around and see us grow. I encourage you to seek out those people, the people you can invest in. When you open your heart to it you will be surprised to find others doing the same for you.
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