A while back, Gospel Centered Discipleship posted a call for article submissions about the beauty of the local church. You don’t have to be around here long to know I absolutely love the local church, so I jumped at this chance to submit an article. One thing I’m passionate about in regards to the local church is that the beauty of it is often not Instagram-worthy. Its beauty is typically not found in filters and curated photos, but in the suffering, joys, and everydayness of life. Gospel-Centered Discipleship was gracious to publish my article about that passion of mine.
Gospel-Centered Discipleship compiled these articles into a book, Broken But Beautiful. Today is launch day, and I’m honored to be a part of a book that’s full of essays about the blessings of the local church.
Below is an excerpt from my chapter:
Twas the night before Easter, and thirty-six yards awaited “egging” by our family. We hosted an “Egg My Yard” fundraiser for our adoption, and my husband and I were floored by the responses. As he created driving routes, we were unsure how we were going to put 1,395 plastic eggs stuffed with candy in all these yards in a reasonable time. We mentioned this tall task to a few church members in passing, and some mentioned they may be able to help. Before we knew it, our driveway, front yard, and cul-de-sac filled with cars full of church family there to help us. A seemingly impossible task became easier and even more fun because our church family heard of our need and then met it, choosing to use their Saturday evening to help us.
By God’s grace, I have a million more stories like this one. The local church has shown up for my family through suffering, celebrations, and simply ordinary days. These things that I’ve come to love about the local church aren’t always flashy or Instagram-worthy. In our social media age, though, I fear many people are losing their love for the local church.
Social media provides a way to connect with others, laugh at funny memes, and keep up with our favorite sports teams, but it also tempts us toward comparison and fuels our consumeristic, entertainment-driven society. If not careful, we’ll allow this mindset to impact our affection for the local church. Our own church may no longer seem exciting compared to others we see online. We’ll focus on the imperfections within our local church, while only seeing the highlight reel of another church via social media. We must beware of these dangers, and the more I’m involved with the local church, the more I’m certain that the beauty of it isn’t in the “Instagram-worthy” moments.
As I read through the other chapters of this book, my heart was stirred with affection for the local church. The local church is far from perfect, but it’s a beautiful gift to believers. I encourage you to get a copy (or a few!) of this book and pray it’ll do in your heart what it’s done in mine. Praise God for the blessing of His church!
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