Hey y'all,
Have you ever felt all alone? Like you are the only one going through what you’re going through? That no one else could possibly understand you, and even if they did, they wouldn’t love you?
Me too. Let me just tell you—those whispers are LIES from the pit of hell. The truth is, you are never alone. God tells us throughout scripture that He is with us always to the end of the age. But maybe you find yourself isolated from community and people in general. Let me just say from personal experience, this is a dangerous place to be. The illustration our pastor uses often to describe this situation is like when you watch a group of antelopes vs. a lion on the Discovery Channel. 9/10 times, the lion will go after the antelope that has gone off by itself rather than the herd of antelopes all together. Why? Because the one is more vulnerable by itself.
The same is true for us as Christians. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explains that we are all apart of the body of Christ. Each of us represent a different body part and each part is significant. Our pastor also uses the example that if you were to be walking down the street and came across a severed foot, you wouldn’t think to yourself, ‘oh wow, that must be a healthy foot.’ NO, you would frantically be trying to find where the body is that it is supposed to be connected to! That is also what it is like when we, as Christians, are isolated and not in community with other believers.
In recovery from food, body image, and exercise struggles, staying connected to others is critical for our healing. We need to be in the middle of the herd if you will. That’s why at 139 Wellness, one of the main components of our ministry is cultivating Gospel-centered community. We mainly do this through our Monday night recovery group. Our prayer is that along with 139 members being plugged into their local churches, this recovery group will give them a brave space to heal and grow closer to Jesus.
Gospel-centered community could simply be defined as having a group of people who you can be vulnerable and honest with about your true struggles. Basically, you are loved by others who get to know your true self, not the fake you. God did not intend for us to go through life alone, He made us to be in relationships. Through our recovery groups, we have seen God transform our hearts, minds, and lives. He has done this through the study of His Word, time of discussion and sharing, and the power of prayer.
Mark 2 paints a beautiful picture of this type of friendship. In this passage, Jesus was at home and so many were gathered, there wasn’t room to enter through the door. All the while, there was a group of 4 friends who knew that if they could just get their paralyzed buddy to Jesus, he would be healed. So they got him up to roof, tore it off, and lowered their buddy down to Jesus. THOSE are the types of friendships we want to grow and cultivate in 139 Wellness. Ones who will carry the 4 corners of your mat and do whatever it takes to get you to Jesus because He is the only One who can heal us.
So, I have to ask you. Do you have friends like that? Do you have ‘tear off the roof’ kinda friends? Because it’s not if storms will come, but when. When they come, being surrounded by Gospel-centered community is one of the greatest blessings we can experience on this side of heaven.
We would love to help get you connected. If you are interested in learning more about our Monday night recovery group, please contact us at 139wellnessinfo@gmail.com .
You are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Love,
Camille
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