Real People Doing Real Life Together

I have been a member of three different small groups. Really more like 10 if you count Sunday School classes (yes, I used to go to Sunday School) and Women's Bible Studies. But in all of those groups, some of which have been really good (some not so much) there has been one group that was that once in a lifetime kind of group.

I have asked myself, and been asked by people who are in charge of groups in their churches, "What made that group so special?" And as I have thought about that group I have come to this conclusion. It was realness (if that's a word). We didn't start with realness. But there was a defining moment where realness, authenticity, truth and transparency all came crashing together and created a connection that time and the test of time has not broken.

We were eating dinner one night, talking about general marriage things, when one of the couples there talked openly about a problem they were having in their marriage. I don't remember the exact words anymore, but those words opened doors for the rest of us to share things in our own lives that weren't perfect either. For the 6 of us that were there that night, we let down our guards and trusted each other. We became real. And there were many more REAL moments that happened from that day forward. Because someone in our group took the risk, and stepped out in humility, saying, "let's do life together."

Those REAL moments still happen, even though we live thousands of miles away. Sometimes my husband will get texts from one of the guys in the group asking him if he is speaking kindly to his wife (me). Accountability. I think that's what else has made this group so incredible. We don't just "get real" with each other, we hold each other accountable for the things that we should be accountable for.

I think Jesus modeled the perfect small group. We watched him do real life with his small group. He was authentic, transparent, humble, strong, and he held them accountable. They prayed together, ate together, laughed together, struggled together, suffered loss together, and celebrated together.

All that to say, "real people doing real life together" isn't just a slogan or a good idea. It's life changing.