there seems to be a fine line with regard to community and friends and satisfaction in the Lord. maybe it isn’t fine. maybe it is just a regular line. but there most definitely is a middle ground that is best.
on one side you have hyper spirituality and God is all you ever do, think, talk about. which may sound good but you have alienated everyone around you. you have distanced yourself from the world which you are supposed to be loving. you aren’t allowing community to pour into your life because God is supposedly showing you everything. the problem: you have blind spots!
on the opposite end you have a life that is solely rallied around community and friendships. your identity is found in who is your friend. you run to them first instead of God. your satisfaction of life is based on who is in your life. you don’t make time for God because your friends and community are your god. the problem: God is the only one who can satisfy!
the middle ground however seems to be a tricky place. maybe it is just me. i find the balance between completely satisfied in Jesus/”needing” Him alone and really doing community well a little difficult at times. in my flesh i want more community. i want a family. i want things that aren’t wrong until they cross that line of looking for satisfaction. sometimes it is difficult cause i am spending so much time with God i don’t let anyone in and i find myself unknown. not allowing people to know me to show me my blind spots.
in the end, i am so thankful that He course corrects me when i get too far to either side. God is so good and kind even when it doesn’t look or feel like it.
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11