What do bricks, brides and and best friends have in common?

I know I apologize every time for the infrequency of my blogs. . .but I am not apologizing this time, lol! I get in these moods where I just have to write to be heard-and whether they happen frequently or rarely- I’ve learned I just can’t force it! So pray God will get me in the mood to blog more often, haha!

Ok, so honestly, being in Malaysia has had its moments of loneliness. God has blessed me with an outstanding church community and I am forever thankful for the brothers and sisters God has placed in my life, but the rigorous nature of my internship schedule sometimes keeps me out of touch. I really miss being surrounded by community. It’s quite ironic, actually; I used to be very much into independence over the whole interdependence thing. Vulnerability was about as appetizing as dragging my heart over sharp rocks, and needing other people scared me. God definitely broke me of that mentality. . just to bring me into a season that lacked the very thing I learned to appreciate? Oh the wondrous ways Jesus works, I am forever trying to fathom His ways :) Today was a “cry out to God” kind of day and nothing was really getting through. I felt so alone, and I was questioning God. Why do I feel so alone if I know you are all around me and inside me??? Isn’t God all I need? The answer of course, is yes! God is all I need, and I could write a whole other blog about what God is teaching me about being satisfied in Him alone. BUT we are the body of Christ, the bride, His house built on the cornerstone of Christ Jesus. A building cannot consist of one cornerstone and one brick; a hand connected to a head is not a body, or a very beautiful bride. A building consists of bricks leaning against other bricks; a body is only functional in relation to its entirety. So as I was crying out to God, I received an email from a dear friend. She poured her heart out to me, told me how much she valued my input her life, and reminded me of the place I held in her life as a sister and friend. I felt this sense of joy come over me. I am not saying I just need to be needed- I am in ministry 24/7 it seems- I sometimes want to NOT be needed! But she was asking me to join her journey, to share her burden. The connection was such a blessing!

I believe truth is constantly held in tension, it is frequently both/and not either/or. There is a tension here as well. God is the only one that satisfies; He is the only true source of life. Whenever I seek life in anything but him, I will find myself disappointed, disillusioned and unsatisfied. But, God has created us for community, to join together united in the Spirit sharing one another’s burdens. Colossians has become my favorite book recently (my favorite book is subject to change by the day) and I am attempting to memorize all of it. I just read chapter 1 in The Message version, just to switch things up a bit, and this portion leapt at me from the page. . .eerrr, computer screen: “And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.” We are meant to be together, and Christ himself does the holding. We are complete in Christ but united by Him as well. We cannot stand alone; we must lean on one another, share one another’s burdens and function interdependently as the bride of Christ.

I also believe we, as the interdependent bride, this building with Christ as the supporting cornerstone, have a task at hand, a purpose greater than ourselves. Our purpose is to complete the building, to unite the bride. The bride of Christ is not yet finished- many have yet to hear of their dynamic and important role in the body of Christ. Many have yet to hear of the hope of wholeness found in living with Christ as the cornerstone. Many are lost and hurting, scarred and bleeding from what they thought would satisfy, but instead left them hopeless and empty. We have the opportunity to share with them the joy of community, the joy of unity with the Spirit, and the joy of being an irreplaceable portion of the bride of Christ.

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’”