christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
37
announcements—Jerry truly enjoyed being part of DR. He
had gotten his life back, and it was in this community where
he found hope and joy again.
Sometimes we just cannot fix ourselves but, perhaps, that
was never the intention. Jerry discovered God was able to
heal his heart through the love and acceptance he felt in his
connection with a community that understood and cared.
Why Community is Important for Our Healing:
Made in the Image of God
Jerry’s story should not surprise us. In the beginning, God
created the first human, Adam, with the breath of life,
surrounded him with the abundant blessings of Eden, and
gave him meaningful work. Yet, even when Adam was
surrounded by the things that normally give our lives meaning
(health, resources, work), God’s assessment was,
“It is not good
for the man to be alone…”
(Genesis 2:18). Relationships are,
fundamentally, what make life “good.”
This goodness is most clearly revealed in God, the One
in whose image we are made. As one God with three distinct
personal expressions (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), the
Trinitarian nature of our Creator demonstrates that commu-
nity/relationship is the core of who God is. This is why, in
page after page of human history, God has consistently been
seeking to be in relationship with humankind, eventually
sending Jesus to live with us in the flesh.
Emmanuel: God with Us
At
Jesus’
baptism (Matthew 3:15-17), the voice of
God the
Father
is heard and the
Holy Spirit
is seen in the form of a
dove. While this event was an acknowledgement of Jesus’
identity and significance, along with it came a glimpse into
the communal nature of the Triune God. It is in that character
of community where Jesus launched His ministry as a living,
in-the-flesh demonstration of who God is. He developed
relationships everywhere He went—touching those no one
else would touch; speaking to those with whom no one else
would speak; and eating with those whom no one else would
associate. Jesus called together a group of people who traveled
with Him extensively, living life together and teaching them
that “loving your neighbor” is fundamental to loving God
(Mark 12:28-31; John 13:34-35). Eventually, Jesus revealed
the great extent to which God wants to be in relationship with
each of us by His dying on the cross.
A Community that Cares
Following Jesus’ ultimate expression of love on the cross and
His subsequent resurrection, the disciples found the most
natural way to live out the reality of life with God was in small
groups. They met together regularly—worshipping, eating,
sharing, caring for one another in ways that were so remark-
able that others wanted to try it too—and were welcome to
do so (Acts 2:42-47). Those groups were called
ekklesia
, or
“the called out”—those who had experienced Christ’s love and
were sharing that experience with others.
Two thousand years later, that same love was the founda-
tion of the group that Jerry encountered, helping him reach
outside of himself and experience the acceptance and love of
God through others. It is doubtful he could have gotten to
that place on his own.
Barriers to Healing Community:
The Challenge of Connecting
It can be difficult, however, to find that community. We easily
set up our own hurdles to joining a new group—whether it
is inertia, past experiences or fear of the unknown. There also
can be a natural sense of isolation when we enter a room of
people we do not know. Even if everyone is deliberate about
welcoming others, it can seem as though “they are all friends
and I’m the stranger.”
Beyond those initial insecurities, there are even deeper
roadblocks that prevent us from finding intimate commu-
nity—our pain and shame: “If they really knew me, they
would never accept me.” Jerry’s self-perceived stigma almost
prevented him from trying out DR but, ironically, it was
that same stigma that eventually helped him connect deeply
with his small group. That connection happened, in this
case, because the DR groups function with four compulsory
