We need eachother #livefreeThursday

I was a girl who loved me some church camp.  I loved the people ( I am a serious extrovert), the youth group crying sessions at youth group devotions (especially on the LAST night), the cheesy cheers and songs.

I loved being a camp counselor .  I loved the people.  Leading the devotions  (especially on the last night) the cheesy cheers and the songs.

One thing I dreaded that EVERY camp seemed to want to do.

The trust fall.  The have all these crazy folks link arms and  stand together ,  and you fall back off something high into their arms.  It seems like a insurance liability to ME.

It’s not that I didn’t  want to trust people.  I did.  I really did want to trust them.   But it seemed crazy to drop down into these people’s arms.  And to be the arms to try to catch them.
The point of this exercise was to lead us to trust each and to remember we need each other.

I believe God created us for community.  For togetherness.  The trinity is a picture of that.  The fact that Jesus grabbed a bunch of disciples to walk the  journey of life with Him on earth.  The fact that the body of Christ is called beautiful, and in  1 Corinthians 12 we are reminded that each member of the body has a part and is important.

I remember once, at camp, I chickened out from doing the trust fall. I wanted to stand on firm ground and not need “them” to pick me up as I fell.  I  secretly regretted this.

Sure, it’s easier to want to  be independent and not need anyone. It’s easy to not want to fall and trust others in the arms of community.  It’s easy to get scared and run away when it gets messy ( true confession I have done that. I am a runner… and am  learning slowly the power of staying when things get messy).

I have the honor of leading a ladies’ small group on Thursday nights that has been going now for 5 years (wow).  I need them. They need me.  We need each other.  We need nights where we laugh till we cry, and nights where we cry together.  We are all different — some quiet, some crazy , younger, or more wise, single or married, kids or no kids– but we have sat in hospital waiting rooms together, prayed through  major life trauma together,  had birthday parties together. 
It gets messy at times, but trust falling life together is WORTH IT.

I have a new  church that I am apart of.  Two Rivers Chattanooga.  God called me to leave  my church family (that had been Together with me through lots of things, including  being my awesome sending church for two years overseas) to  be apart of this church plant.

I have learned so so much as we launched a brand new church.  I have learned  community.  I have learned how you love in community.  How you are real and authentic in community and how you need each other in community.

My fear has at times kept me from wanting to be in it together with people.  To say I need you.  To let them say They need me.

But I  am standing on the top of that brick wall (like in the picture).  I have my arms crossed and my eyes closed, and I trust that your arms, along with other arms– with giggles and  encouraging cheers– are  going to catch me.  

I need you.  You need me. 

Together living free!

Dont forget to jump over to  http://tsuzanneeller.com  to check out  #livefree Thursday and an incredible post.

Also .. don’t  forget to read the Blog post from yesterday to comment and win a copy of my friend Holley Gerth’s new book You are Loved No Matter What ( You must get a copy .. it’s awesome). You can find info about that book  here  http://holley-gerth.myshopify.com/products/loved