It’s been said that there are rare times in your life when a person comes along and you just know you’ll be better for knowing them. Those times need not be rare.

Not long after starting work at Buckhead Church, I joined my second small group. My first had been so amazing that I had high hopes. I expected great Bible teaching and a community of people just like me. What I got was Jimmy. I initially wondered (in the way that one does but doesn’t often admit) if God really knew what he was doing. Jimmy wasn’t a Bible scholar. He was rough around the edges. He wasn’t the “churchy” type, but it turns out he was exactly what I needed. Everyone who met him was drawn to him. He was welcoming. He had a huge heart for people. He had a way of making everyone around him laugh. He treated everyone the same. He also had a gift for sharing what he knew about the gospel with people in ways that made them want to know more. I’d never known anyone who could talk about their faith so genuinely. As always, God knew exactly what he was doing.

Every small group I’ve been part of has brought me a Jimmy—someone used by God to draw me closer to him and someone I’d otherwise never have met.

When we recognize the amazing relationships God helps us build, it reminds us of the relationship he wants to have with us. As we engage one another, we are able to give thanks to the Father who created them. Responding to this gift, our display of love to others and the pursuit of great relationships invites them into this story, also.

Application

Who are the people in your life right now that bring you closer to God? Does anyone come to mind? Do you need to find more? What can you do to become that person for someone else?

Thrive in these relationships by engaging them. Choose a person to invite to dinner or to encourage with a text message.

Go Deeper Resources

If you’d like to know more about the importance to your faith of walking with other Christ followers, check out Part III: Providential Relationships in Andy Stanley's sermon series: Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith.