Getting to know more of God through others

A few weeks ago, I was contemplating a few things, as I usually do. I was thinking about how most of my adult life, I've kept to myself despite me having no issues at all with being around others. I am a complicated mixture of both introverted and extroverted behavior. Depending on my mood, I can be perfectly fine hanging out in a crowd of people, or I'm also perfectly comfortable being on my own.

Although I had done some remote work with a team from out of state in the past, starting in 2020 when I started a new job in Dallas, I've worked primarily from home. Although at the time I did miss my friends and co-workers from my previous job, it was nice not having to deal with traffic and long drives. My commute before that time was about an hour and a half each way. It was beginning to wear me down, so I welcomed the ability to cut that part out completely.

I would spend all day at my desk working during the day, then at night I would spend the rest the evening surfing the web, playing games or editing my photos or videos. I was in the same room literally all day long. For a time, I even slept in the office I worked in because my wife was working in the healthcare field, and we didn't know if she was being put more at risk for the Corona Virus. There was a lot of fear and confusion over that whole ordeal in the beginning of 2020, and we just decided to be cautious.

So I was very alone in my little room of both productivity and entertainment. I didn't seem to mind it much though. In fact, a part of me was quite content. It was comfortable, because it was the same routine day after day for months. Even after I went back to sleeping in our bedroom, the routine was mostly the same. At the time I wasn't really doing much as far as ministry and church were concerned. I just kind of stayed out of it. Ever since I had left Covenant Church in Colleyville, TX, I just didn't feel like I belonged anywhere. Even when I visited and volunteered at the church where Riley and Randi had gone for years, it just didn't feel quite the same.

It wasn't a bad church by any means, it just didn't allow me to do what I really enjoyed, music ministry. I kind of just did what I was able to because they needed help in those other areas. I came to church, did my duties, and then went home. There was no real connection, no real friendships, and no sense of real ministry. But, I was happy to help, and I always felt that I would go wherever I would be needed regardless of how large or small the role I had to play.

But something occurred to me a few weeks ago after I was contemplating my new role at Calvary Life, my new church. Even though I was content at being siloed and alone, my ministry and even my Christian life, really does have more fulfilment with others in my life. Even though I'm content with being alone, and I can live my life for Christ as a single individual, I'm actually short selling myself at all of who God really is if I just stay away from everyone.

You see, God speaks to us in very different ways based on who we are. We are individuals with different ways of thinking, reacting, ministering and loving. God understands what makes us tick, and he knows the desires of our hearts. One person's way of living life isn't going to work for the other. We each have our own different callings, and our relationship with God is unique. He reveals himself and his will to us based on who we are and where we are in that moment in time in our lives.

So in a way, if we really want to know more of who God really is, we need others in our lives. God reveals more of himself to us whenever we're in the presence of other believers. I feel the verse in Matthew 18:20 where it says, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." really shows this thought in the real world.

In order for us to really know God, and all of the ways he knows us, we must connect with one another and build strong relationships. I think that's one of the main purposes of the church. The more of God's people are together, the more he is able to reveal himself to us. The church is a cross section of God and who he truly is. The more faithful people gather together, the more God we can find in others.

I used to think that I was able to withstand anything this world would hit me with. I've always been very independent, even as a child. I had to go through a lot of really difficult emotional trauma. Since I had to go through that, I felt that I had what it took to just plow through life. And, there's no doubt I've been able to get through a lot of that trauma because of my, albeit on and off, relationship with God. But I never considered the fact that I would need to be connected with a strong, and amazing group of people IN the body of Christ to get to know him more.

It made sense to me once I felt God revealed that to me, because he was getting me ready to be plugged into a remarkable church, with amazing people in it. I needed to understand that I need them just as much as they need me. I want to be there for them and share with then all the amazing things God has done for me in the last 44 years of my life. I think I'm ready. Let's see what God does with our church and what doors will open for us all.