I don’t have the outgoing social butterfly personality. But I have, praise the Lord, over the years grown more comfortable being me and interacting with others. Reading the Bible, I’ve seen that the Lord has always cared about the individual. But He has never left people alone. He designed us to be in community. The family first and then outwards. We cannot do life and faith on our own. That is why being a part of a local body of believers is so important. In a consumer culture, the importance of community gets overlooked, shoved away, and played down. But people are missing the point! It is not all about YOU! By separating yourself from a community you are denying a major part of your being. You are defying your Creator and cutting yourself off from rich blessings.
One of the biggest ways the Lord has grown me over the years, is by being a part of a local church and being a part of a orginization seeking to glorify God through the arts. You see, I enjoy helping and serving and am content to do that behind the scenes. But through doing that, the Lord has shown me who I am and opened me up to friendships. You see serving can be selfish thing as well. But by serving with Antioch and with Arts Alive Fine Arts Studio, I’ve become part of two communities dedicated with a purpose. I’ve seen how my service along side everyone else’s have been used by the Lord to produce wonderful art. It goes beyond service I have done in more worldly venues. We come together with hearts dedicated to Christ and focused on serving then the Lord takes each individual’s gifts, talents, and service to produce much more than the sum of the parts!
You see you may think, oh I will not get much out of being a part. Or you may think, I don’t have that much to offer and they don’t really need me. Don’t fool yourself and don’t cheat others! Push beyond your introverted nature to reach out and serve. Or push past your driven leadership nature and step back and serve. Your church and organization will be stronger for your service. God will be honored and pleased at your worship through service.
