Impact and InfluenceSample

Find Your People

You are not just a human being, you are also a relational being. When God formed us, he created us to coexist with others. Connection is a basic fundamental human need. However, most of us have learned how to survive without it due to experiences that left our trust in people fractured.

When you go into survival mode, you teach yourself how to exist without depending on others which often yields hyper-independence and does not leave room for exploring community. While it is fair and understandable for one to put up a guard after relational trauma, it is not the healthiest thing in the grand scheme of things. A guarded heart might keep the wrong people out but it also blocks access to the right people.

Instead of guarding your heart with walls, try guarding it with wisdom. This way, you won’t rob yourself of an opportunity to enjoy healthy relationships with people who are good for you. The best way to gain this wisdom is to partner with the Holy Spirit; He will guide you into all truth. Now, this doesn’t mean that relationships will be perfect and not require work, forgiveness, or long suffering. It does mean that you'll reduce the risk of finding yourself with the wrong connections because you are being led by God and not your emotions and own intellect or impulse.

A guarded heart will always reject being in community. Community is essential to growth and wellness. It is a tool in the hand of God used for our personal growth and the advancement of the Kingdom at large. The saying “we are better together” is the best way to sum up why having community with like-minded people matters. What if the next big thing God wants to do for you, and/or the Kingdom of God, hinges on your ability to buy into community?

If you need a few factors to help you buy in, here are some:

• Community produces and incites love within you and those around you.
• Community prompts you to engage in good works.
• Community provides a source of encouragement and refuge from people you’ve committed to doing life with when you need it the most.
• Community has the propensity to heal your family wounds.

There are people meant just for you. Find them and love them hard, and let them love you hard.

Prayer: Dear God, I invite your wisdom into my life to lead me into the right relationships and to strengthen the ones that I already have. Teach my heart to be trusting so that I won’t miss the blessings that come with engaging in community. In Jesus’ name. Amen.