We live in a society that promotes independence to a fault; this notion that the blame always lies on someone else, as the “self-love” trend has created an environment in which humbleness is now viewed as weakness. Unfortunately for the church, this has resulted in many men and women concealing their struggles; developing a talent of “saving face” rather than seeking godly guidance as to how to potentially rid oneself of said evils.
Believe me, I’ve been there; while reading Scriptures you become amazed by the glory and the magnitude of the Lord that has saved us from our filthy sinful lives, so amazed that we feel the conviction, we turn our lives to Christ, and we live within the mercy and grace that only He provides. However, more often than not, with redemptive spirits, and hearts on fire for the Lord, we suppress our past and current temptations in order to meet some hypothetical “Christian criteria” that we have so deeply engrained in our minds. We hate to admit it, we can’t bring ourselves to say it, as these people we are now surrounded with are so wonderful, so kind, so generous, and who -- like us -- are so prone to sin. These same people are refusing to let others know what is really going on within their hearts, the heart that you continue to view as being stainless and perfect.
Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Community, as essential as it is within the church, has sadly become a part of “Christianese,” a list of words scattered throughout conversation, sprinkled with righteousness, but never truly acted upon. Surrounding ourselves with those willing to blur the lines on what is by a Biblical sense “right” and “wrong” is quite easy. However, in this comfortable state of sin we find ourselves running a race in the opposite direction of Christ. Yes, many may associate “accountability” with “judgment,” but this is to look at relationships that do not have our Lord and Savior at the ultimate center, the focus. By approaching the concept of community with a spiritual yearning for healing and growth, Christians can allow themselves to be molded and to be shaped into an image of Christ that better reflects His pure goodness. Proverbs 27:17 ESV is an excellent reminder of this exact idea, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Allowing oneself to be held to a higher standard is to humble oneself low enough to see one’s true worthlessness outside of the Savior. Though, with humility comes community, and from here we can seek our Lord fully.
