Faith-Filled Community
- Cathrine Schmelzer
- Feb 25
- 3 min read
“But I have something I didn’t have a few years ago: Faith, the knowledge that God can and will provide, and a community.”
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2
Mom friends, I want to take a minute today to share the absolute power of having a community behind you.
On Christmas day, my husband injured his hand. I won't go into details in case you’re squeamish, but we had to rush to the emergency room. Both sets of our parents live half an hour away, so I called on my community and a very gracious friend came over, on Christmas day, to sit with my traumatized children until their grandma could get there. A week later, when he had to have surgery, it was my community who watched my children and made us a meal train to make sure we were provided for.
A few days after that, our oven quit working. And then our van died. Suddenly, we had no way to bake, no way to get kids to school and only one adult who could do things around the house. We also still owed quite a bit of money on the van that no longer ran, which meant if we bought a new vehicle, we’d have multiple car payments, which we could not afford. If this happened a few years ago, I would have been a mess. A ball of stress, curled up in a corner somewhere, unable to function.
But I have something I didn’t have a few years ago: Faith, the knowledge that God can and will provide, and a community.
After seeing a close friend go through a really difficult season while keeping her faith strong, I made the decision to let God be in control, to let Him guide me, and to have faith that it will all work out. And the craziest thing happened. There was some stress - I’m human and have my own emotions - but there was also a lot of peace. There was a lot of joy.
And my community came through in a big way. My friends offered to take my kids to school. They offered to watch kids while I went car shopping. They were providing meals, checking in multiple times a day, and praying for me. Within a few weeks, my husband was back to work, we had a new vehicle with one car payment, and thanks to a sweet friend who arranged it and paid for repairs, we also had a working oven.
Jesus, and my faith in Him, got me through a difficult time. I rejoiced in the hope of His glory, just like Paul writes in today’s verse, because I KNEW Jesus would take care of my family. But it was my community that helped me build that faith, encouraged me to rely on God, and encouraged me to trust Him and allow Him to work.
Action Steps:
Whatever you’re going through, reach out to your community and ask for prayer. Allow yourself to be vulnerable, to ask for help.
Remember that your faith, your testimony, might grow the faith of a friend. Don’t be scared to share with your community and watch the faith in your circle grow.
Written by Cathrine, mom of 4