Community is a beautiful thing. It’s friends gathered around a porch in the wee hours of the morning. It’s worshipping in the car on the way to IHOP. It’s sitting on the floor with your closest friends comforting the one who’s hurting. It’s gathering around the table to eat and talk about everyone’s day. Community looks a lot of different ways, but every soul needs it.

People don’t always plan to be a part of a particular community. It just happens. You’re living life when all of a sudden you’re surrounded by strangers that you’d do anything for. That’s the work of the Lord. He has a way of placing His children in just the right place at just the right time to simply have fellowship. They get to do life together, holding each other up and having the time of their lives together.

For the past two years I’ve been the most nonsocial person on the planet. I had my routine way of doing life, and branching out was far from appealing. The Lord convicted me of that this summer. He’s put me at this college for a purpose. I have the joy of the Lord inside of me, and it was time to share that.That’s when I met my new community.

There was never a grand explosion to lead me into this new family, I just looked up one day and I was in the middle of it. I was surrounded by people who loved the Lord and encouraged me to love Him more. I was able to start pouring into these people and encouraging them. I was in the middle of a community, and my heart had never been so full.

With my lack of social skills, it’s no question that this was an act of God. He put me in a position, surrounded by people who love Him, where I can be myself. I can enjoy doing life with the people around me. I can open up to them and lean on them while they trust and lean on me. It’s my family. It’s my gift from the Lord.

You don’t look for a community to be a part of. You open your heart to wherever the Lord takes you and you find yourself in the middle of His gift. You’ll experience the love and joy of the Lord in a whole new way. Be open to the rest of your family. Join them, encourage them, let them encourage you, and do life together. You’ll never regret surrounding yourself with those who have the same mission you do - serving the Lord.