Five Minute Friday - Together

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TOGETHER

Funny that this word comes up now.  Recently our work group has been huddling over what it means to be a team; to work as a team; to be a member of a team.
Image Courtesy of adamr/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At the end of it all it means togetherness.  Cliché, I know, but there's no "I" in team.  Period.

We weren't designed to be alone, to do it all on our own.  God's Word, in the very picture of the Church, is togetherness.  Starting with our togetherness in God through Christ and the Holy Spirit.  A togetherness that is oneness.  That oneness fuels our purpose and enables us to practice this togetherness.

This togetherness is based in service.  We work together and serve one another.  In our togetherness no one alone gives.  We give and receive; give and take; back and forth; again and again.  Together we can.  Alone, well, is lonely. 

Aloneness has its time and place but we are rarely called to give aloneness a right to be front and center.  In our separation, times of quiet and seeming aloneness we are able to renew our spirits through all that is whispered to it by the Spirit.  Empty for refilling, we are ready again for togetherness.

Agreed, we sometimes leave our time of quiet aloneness kicking and screaming, not feeling ready or equipped to face togetherness, but grace upon grace, perpetual grace, gently whispers, "Go.  Yes, you can.  Trust Me."

Ready, set, go.  Not just for Five Minute Friday but for the busyness of the day; for purpose; for togetherness.

Your Turn:  How do you benefit from togetherness?

Comments

HisFireFly said…
Hi Tina - thanks for stopping by. I'm amazed thast your banner photo looks just like our valley, bales and all!
Tina said…
FireFly - it's a small world after all, isn't it? Tennessee/Canada/Africa? That, my friend, is the awesome view outside my window! Our neighbor actually gets our hay every year, but I sure do love the sight of it!
Gerrie said…
Togetherness wasn't always been easy for me, but it most definitely became important for me the very moment of my adult born again experience! As a child I loved the Lord mightily, but is was a very private thing, and between my late 20's-early 30'sI went through a period of no longer believing in Jesus as the son of God at all, but when the Lord brought me back to my spiritual senses,(as he always does)I suddenly wanted to shout to the world that God was real, and that God's love was amazing! Surprisingly, it was my heart's desire to help others, to be the hands and feet of Christ! I know it sound strange, but I suddenly felt I was "God's hostess" in life and it was my job to love others, be helpful and uplift the broken hearted and broken spirited. It was as though I went from being an introvert to an extrovert in one full sweep! And, doing things with others just seemed so natural...after all, we were all "one" in Christ!

Funny how the enemy can take one's determination to do what God has ordained for us to an extreme though. It is so easy now to do things with a group rather than on my own, and I struggle to find that quiet time with the Lord that I feel so strongly about! It is daily on my heart, in my mind and my prayer for the Lord to help me become that balanced person that I know we are meant to be.

I struggle with "feeling" that I don't "do" enough and at the same time that I don't spend enough time with the Lord...one-on-one. It is a battle, you know, and I the enemy is diligent in trying to keep me focused on "me" rather than on the Lord first and others second.

Fortunately I have several personal friends to confide in on a spiritual basis as well as a small group that gathers weekly at our house to share and learn from each other about how God is, has and hopefully will use us to further his Kingdom.

I want to thank you for this wonderful blog entry and for reminding us that we need to be with other...to worship God together...to do God's work together! God saw from the very beginning of mankind that we needed others. That it is not good to e alone. Yes, there is strength in numbers, keener spiritual insights in the communion of the saints, and so much more can be done as we work and worship together.

Tina said…
Gerrie, I love how extroverted togetherness led you to share God so passionately with others. I can see that in the book you co-authored (I have my own copy, of course). I'm sure spiritual balance isn't cookie cutter and one's balance may look nothing like another's.

I do have a core belief that I've learned from my own journey that there are many seasons in our lives of what I call "empty for filling". There have been times for me that meant pulling back on all the doing and being still and allowing Him to refill me and redirect me. I think of the pot the Samaritan woman carried to the well, empty as her tired, worn-out heart that was longing to be really seen and known and loved as she was, not for what she could give to another.

She was so isolated and then ran toward togetherness to share the Good News, much like your new creature experience.

Thanks for sharing part of your story with me.

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