Last Monday morning I spoke at Westmont College. Then I boarded a plane and headed to Sioux Falls.
But in the midst of a crazy week, I carried with me a small moment from the morning that kept a smile on my face all week.
I wish I could describe how my heart jumped when I heard them in the back of the room. The best I can do is let you watch it because it happened the minute I came on stage. (The rest of the talk is about seeing our life the way God sees it and might encourage you, but don’t forget to come back to the point of this blog).
For the record, personal cheers like this rarely happen. Most of my speaking happens outside of my home town. It was a moment I marked with a simple “I hear you Oceanhills”, but the warmth of the cheer dug down deep in my soul. And it spurred me to realize once more the gift of having a tribe.
People who know your quirks and love you in spite of them
People who cheer you before you’ve even begun
People who arm you with their support and encouragement
People who would miss your presence if you left their lives
Whether it’s one, two or ten people, it struck me once more last week that we are not meant to do this life alone. Loneliness saps our strength and highlights the adversity we face.
So my question is not who is doing this for you. My question is: Who are you doing this for?
From my own experience, this is how tribes are formed. It’s certainly how tribes are kept.
Love well and your tribe will come to be.
Whether they are all in one place or scattered.
Whether you see them every day or three times a year.
Whether they are people you serve with, raise kids with, or have history with.
Identify them. Thank God for them. And every once in a while show up and cat call them.
The smile you give them may never leave their face.
They may even blog about it.
**or more encouragement on seeing what is important, watch the talk. Or visit this link: http://amzn.to/2wccPvf
Or both.