Community (Blog Carnival)

Welcome to the Blog Carnival on ‘Community’. Please add your link below… and enjoy!

It is my pleasure to be hosting this time around. Please join us on Tuesday, December 1st, when my friend Peter Pollock will be our charming host. The word/topic for that date is, ‘Grief’.

One Word at a Time… Community

At first I struggled about what I wanted to say on the subject of community. I then recalled a story I wanted to share, but it made me sorry that I hadn’t felt this type of strong connection and sense of belonging in a very long time.

Of course God knows precisely what we need and when we need it… and right on schedule, He opened my eyes. Apparently, I couldn’t see the forest for the trees…

First, I’d like to tell you about the outpouring of love my family received while we were going through one of the toughest times in our lives.

The holiday season of 1997 was extremely difficult for us. We had a two year old and a two month old, we were in the process of waiting on a house that was in the final stages of being built, and my hubby was really sick and had been for months. The house situation had us living in a small apartment, anxiously awaiting a certificate of occupancy so that we could move out and get settled into our new home.

Those first few weeks of November were terribly stressful. They were filled with doctor appointments, hospital visits, a copious amount of tests, and lots of waiting! In the midst of all this, we made the decision to leave the church we’d been attending, and were searching for a new church home. We’d visited a place we thought might be a great fit for our growing family, but with a baby arriving shortly after our first few visits, and my husband growing sicker by the day, we hadn’t had much of an opportunity to really get to know anyone.

After months of worry and prayer, the diagnosis came about a week prior to Thanksgiving. My husband had cancer, and our lives were about to change… drastically!

Due to extreme circumstances and almost no white blood cells, the four of us were basically home-bound from Thanksgiving through August of the following year. We couldn’t take the chance of bringing any germs home and introducing them to the hubby… or his practically non-existent immune system.

This is when and where the community part of the story comes in. On top of the many times the Pastor (who ended up becoming a very dear friend) showed up to pray with us, there were many calls, cards, and concern from this group of people we’d only recently met .

A few days before Christmas there was a knock on the door of our apartment. As I opened it, I was greeted by approximately fifty smiling faces… they were both young and old… some of them looked vaguely familiar… while others were complete strangers.

As I began to recognize a few of the faces, before I knew what was taking place… this amazing group of people began singing Christmas carols for us. As reality started to set in, my extremely weak husband made his way over to the door where we stood together, snuggling each other and our babies, with tears streaming down our faces.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25

We didn’t live near the church, we barely knew these people, yet here they were… standing in our parking lot sharing the spirit of Christmas with us. Amid all the insanity that year, we could have (and probably would have) completely forgotten or missed it. I couldn’t imagine a time that I had ever, or would ever again experience more of a sense of community than I did at that exact moment.

Surprisingly (not really), while I was working on this post, things began to unfold around me that reminded me of what it means to once again be part of a community. I know many people haven’t tried it… or aren’t willing to give it a chance… but I can say with utmost certainty… my online connections have now become a community of very special friends!

I’ve recently discovered how important this is for me… I want to say to my friends on Twitter, Facebook, and my fellow bloggers… we share a connection on a multitude of levels… and guess what else? When I need you… there you are!

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4

This week there were several occasions where I received direct messages and emails asking for prayer and/or a listening ear. In return, there are many days that I’ll share something publicly, and within moments several of you chime in, or send me private messages asking what you can do to help and what to pray for.

If someone would have told me that this is what my social media experiences would entail… I wouldn’t have believed them. Now that I’m connected to so many amazing people, and am involved in these incredible blog carnivals… I’m deeply grateful to be part of such a wonderful and caring community.

Thank you all for accepting me, including me in your busy lives, and blessing me with so much kindness…

Tagged as: Blog Carnival, Cancer, Church, Comfort, Community, facebook, Family, Prayer, Twitter