Congratulations to all of you who commented yesterday – there's a Hope & Encouragement card pack on its way to you right now. Can't wait to hear your stories of how you used the cards to encourage someone else! Don't forget to come link them up on September 12th!
One of our favorite people, Gitzen Girl, has the most remarkable story of encouragement. She's sharing in the post below what community can really do for us. And we'd love to hear who has shown you what community, those through-thick-and-thin relationships, really means.
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When I get an encouraging card from my bestest girlfriend for no good reason! Love it!
When my grandpa died (my first life-altering experience with death), I remember feeling low about the fact that my brothers had friends after friends showing up to pay their respects. When I saw my girlfriend and her husband out of the corner of my eye there for me, I cried. I had no idea that the next year would be a year of both of us being there for each other as she said goodbye to her dad and I said goodbye to mine. Friends truly are a gift from God to bandage our hearts through the heartaches.
I have the most supportive family. 3 amazing younger sisters and their significant others. My parents who are there for me no matter what. I also have a very loving boyfriend that I know will always be there no matter what. Surround yourself with good people and on those hard days you don’t have to look far to find a pick me up. 🙂
Well, I have 2 amazing “communities”. First of all, my two sisters are always there for me. Have been through everything I’ve gone through. They truly are God’s wonderful gift of family and community to me.
Secondly, I have a group of friends. About 1 1/2 years ago a few of us got together and expressed how lonely each of us felt at times and even though we knew each other and were praying for each other, we just weren’t having that personal contact as often as we needed. So we decided to do something. We started getting together one friday morning each month. And it has been amazing! Our little group of 4 has blossomed to 12 and we get together twice a month now for coffee, sharing, and prayer/worship. It’s been such a blessing! One of the gals had a thought that we should call our group the Butterfly Club because Butterflies represent new life, new beginnings, which is what all of us were feeling this group was bringing to us.
That’s my story. Our group is getting together again tomorrow and I can hardly wait!!!
God is good!
My work freinds are the community that shines thru think and thin. One of our co-workers just lost her twin sister and we were there with her thru the entire process.
My Father who passed away 5 years ago was truly that person. I miss him dearly.
Kate
My friend in Alaska has shown me what community means. We first met over ten years ago at college, and we have been the best of friends ever since. Even though thousands of miles now separate us, she has continued to be a faithful friend to me – calling me, sending cards, mailing packages, and coming to visit me this past winter when my daughter was born. She has stuck with me through it all!
I had the chance to build an amazing community of women of faith 5 years ago this month. We met around the table for 3 years and studied God’s Word, prayed, shared our junk and rejoiced in the beauty that came from the ashes. It was truly a gift in my life that I will always treasure. It has made me realize that true community in Christ is always involves His Word!
I have so many people in my life that have shown me that community…my family (my mother, father and sisters) have in a very real sense of the word, shown me what it is to BE a family through good and bad times.
My Pastor’s wife, Peggy, and my women’s ministry sunday school class are building a community that comes alongside each other in praise and prayer andI am so blessed to be a part of that community!
I am blessed to have found GITZ, just this year,,,during thr middle of a sickness that I NEED a community. Great article and I am learning so much thru GLITZ…my community.
Our sweet Sara (Gitz) was one of the first people to reach out to me when my father passed away. She wrote me the sweetest note and offered to be on the other end of the phone whenever I needed it. When her own father was taken to his heavenly home just four days after my own, I couldn’t help think every one of those people surrounding her, represented the enormous amount of community she fosters in everyone around her.
Gitz is my FAVORITE encourager. Love her I do.
my idea of community and friendships has strengthened and grown just in the last year…to value the friendships and the support they provide…Priceless! How I wish I would have been more open to seeing how God has used others in previous stages of life…how He has brought just the right person to be the friend needed at tjust the right time…
I am encourage by the thougth of community. I, too, have family photos from events where I wasn’t present-either because of stubbornly harboring past resentments, or by just plain can’t make it happen no matter what. But, it’s my family, I love them, and bond with them spiritually. My Bible study group is a community I love living in, along with the volunteers at the food pantry, whom have become close brothers and sisters. Ahhh, and then there are friends, many who have dual residences in the other communities. I am blessed!
I am blessed, blessed, blessed to have an amazing family and a wonderful group of friends. God is Good. And I am very thankful for the community He has provided for me – to help me grow!
I loved that she reminded us to live in the moment! I often forget that and worry so much about tomorrow. Thanks for putting it all into perspective.
The family with whom I share this life and walk amongst each day are my most valuable community.
But, we have also seen our church family come alongside and love us through a very dark time in the life of our family.
They have been, and continue to be the living, breathing, body of Christ and that’s community to me.
My best friend, Charity, has been a HUGE support to me the past two years as I have dealt with the loss of our daughter. She has prayed for me, cryed with me, and continually pointed me to Jesus!
My family is my community. We have been through some really tough times together. Really tough. But we have drawn closer together through it. I’d love to have this frame for my desk at work!
I have 3 girlfriends who have been the most amazing community. We met while I was living in Phoenix and have shared many special times. We used to meet once a month for a girls night! Now that live in Indiana, we talk on the phone and still encourage each other through the ups and downs and once a year, we have a “girls weekend” where we all get together for one weekend somewhere in the US. We may be separated by distance, but the community is still amazing!
When my Memaw passed away a few months ago…the love from my family and friends was so tangible. The people whom I consider my blog community also blessed me in so many ways…through love and encouragement with comments and email. It was so beautiful to me.
Our daughter lives far away in NYC and we always miss her when we have any gathering here in Alberta. We share plenty of pictures and I write about the celebrations on my blog so that she can feel part of our community too. When I think about my grandmothers emigrating from Europe and never seeing their families again or receiving 1 letter every year, I am so very thankful for today’s technologies! Our community is now the whole world!
I am blessed with just joining a new church that I know is going to grow into a great community. I have a few girlfriends that I have met over the years that have also taught me about true friendship and being there throug thick and thin. One girlfriend in particular is just always there no matter what and so uplifting and encouraging. So thankful for each of them!
My best friend has taught me about being there through thick and thin. Even when he doesn’t agree with me or we get mad, we are still committed to the friendship and each other.
Our homeschool group is an amazing community for relationships. Even those who don’t continue to homeschool want to stay in the group just for the fellowship. We pray for each other, support each other and come to the rescue when something needs to be done or someone needs to be helped. I’m so thankful for the support.
I am drawn to participate in three area churches. The people in each of them are wonderful and all feel like “family”. When my mom died, they surrounded me with love and care (and food!). Each church is unique and different, but are woven into the fabric of our larger community. In this is joy!
I went through a traumatic miscarriage in July – the same week that my husband and I moved to another state. I turned to my online friends and shared what was happening the morning of the miscarriage, and since then I’ve ‘felt the love’! Seriously, my friends in the computer have offered such encouragement, prayers, and support. They’ve shared their painful stories, and truly created a community for which I am so grateful.
when my girlfriend supports me changing my plans on her at the last minute to try and support what she knows I need to do, even when she disagrees with the choice b/c she doesn’t want to see me hurt.
My husband has been on medical leave from his job as a prison guard since March 13th of this year, and my job as a freelance journalist wasn’t bringing in much money.
In November, 2009 we were adopted by a local church, and the outpouring of love from these strangers touched our lives more than words can convey.
for no other reason than kindness, they bought, and installed, a fuel pump for my husbands truck, brought over truckloads of firewood for our fireplace to help get us through winter, and we have, over the past few months, received various amounts of money in the mail with messages such as God Bless You, and God Love You enclosed.
We not only found new friends through our church, but we have found a new family, that has literally changed our lives and brought us closer to our Loving Father in Heaven.
I feel community when someone asks me, “How can I pray for you?” I try to build community by asking this often!
All people deserve wealthy life time and loans or term loan would make it much better. Just because people’s freedom is grounded on money state.