Have you ever ran a race? Trained for one? I have and I loved it. You know, I'm not really that competitive either. The fun for me was the motivation, the excitement, and the comradeship as I trained and prepared to reach my goals. It seemed that once I found a group of people all excitedly aiming towards that finish line that I was no longer alone as I worked out and stayed fit. Those few months I felt physically better than I ever have.
Even right now, as I take on the task of writing a novel in month as part of National Novel Writing Month, I have a group of people with the same goals and dreams. We talk about our novels, write each other messages, call each other to check on progress and get each other over obstacles. Once again, this comradeship has gave me motivation and excitement to type closer to my goals. Zoom! Zoom!
Recently, God has powerfully shown me how important fellowship is. This concept I have always shrugged off when it came to my spiritual walk. That is embarrassing to realize, but I always thought that my relationship with God was purely between myself and Him and that involving other people in this aspect of my life was optional. I'm an introvert so this decision was easy to make. I'm refreshed and renewed by time alone so time alone with God made extra sense.
Then, my husband and I came to stay with a friend here in New South Wales. Our friend goes to a tiny church in a very small town and invited us to join him. I enthusiastically agreed. I love the music in church, the worship, the sermons and I figured it would be a nice change from my solitary daily devotionals and listening to KLOVE as I clean the house.
But, my expectations weren't what God had in mind at all. Because when I stepped into that church I experienced something else--something precious and irreplaceable...fellowship. Sitting next to me, greeting my family and I, and singing with heart-felt praise were fellow Christians.
I'd forgotten. With all the traveling we have done and the years of living in isolated areas, I'd forgotten that church is not just the singing and the sermons, church is about comradeship. Being in church is joining a group of people who are excited about God, ready to motivate others, and encourage each other in their walk of faith.
Fellowship. It is so amazingly powerful, so expressively beautiful.
My dad, being a rancher, has a phrase he uses often, "People are herd animals". We are. I'm not saying that we need to be with others. I'm saying that the power of a group of people headed in the same direction is a force to be reckoned with, a force that can change lives.
We only have a few more weeks here and then we'll have to move on and leave this group behind, but the experience has been amazing for me and I know now that having and being part of a church is very important and powerful in our walks with God.
So, from here on out, I intend on seeking out and surrounding myself with those fellow Christians because I know that the motivation and excitement of running a race with others is so much more powerful than ru
Photo by Danielle Walquist Lynch
Even right now, as I take on the task of writing a novel in month as part of National Novel Writing Month, I have a group of people with the same goals and dreams. We talk about our novels, write each other messages, call each other to check on progress and get each other over obstacles. Once again, this comradeship has gave me motivation and excitement to type closer to my goals. Zoom! Zoom!
Recently, God has powerfully shown me how important fellowship is. This concept I have always shrugged off when it came to my spiritual walk. That is embarrassing to realize, but I always thought that my relationship with God was purely between myself and Him and that involving other people in this aspect of my life was optional. I'm an introvert so this decision was easy to make. I'm refreshed and renewed by time alone so time alone with God made extra sense.
Then, my husband and I came to stay with a friend here in New South Wales. Our friend goes to a tiny church in a very small town and invited us to join him. I enthusiastically agreed. I love the music in church, the worship, the sermons and I figured it would be a nice change from my solitary daily devotionals and listening to KLOVE as I clean the house.
But, my expectations weren't what God had in mind at all. Because when I stepped into that church I experienced something else--something precious and irreplaceable...fellowship. Sitting next to me, greeting my family and I, and singing with heart-felt praise were fellow Christians.
I'd forgotten. With all the traveling we have done and the years of living in isolated areas, I'd forgotten that church is not just the singing and the sermons, church is about comradeship. Being in church is joining a group of people who are excited about God, ready to motivate others, and encourage each other in their walk of faith.
Fellowship. It is so amazingly powerful, so expressively beautiful.
My dad, being a rancher, has a phrase he uses often, "People are herd animals". We are. I'm not saying that we need to be with others. I'm saying that the power of a group of people headed in the same direction is a force to be reckoned with, a force that can change lives.
We only have a few more weeks here and then we'll have to move on and leave this group behind, but the experience has been amazing for me and I know now that having and being part of a church is very important and powerful in our walks with God.
So, from here on out, I intend on seeking out and surrounding myself with those fellow Christians because I know that the motivation and excitement of running a race with others is so much more powerful than ru
Photo by Danielle Walquist Lynch
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:1
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