Before fuel prices skyrocketed and before my schedule was so full, one of my favourite hobbies was to go for a drive in my neighbourhood. I would put on my favourite CD, drive in a direction I hadn’t explored yet, enjoy the scenery and just get lost. I didn’t have a smartphone and I would leave my GPS off just so I could immerse myself in where I was. Sometimes I would find a nice little cafe to try, a park to walk around in or a really cool-looking street. When it was roughly time to head home, I would love to try and just “wing it”, keeping my eyes peeled for landmarks I recognised to reorient myself. Most of the time this would go pretty well, but sometimes I would get it really wrong and have no idea where I was.
I loved the adventure of it and the small rush I would feel when I saw something I recognised that would trigger my mind to know where I needed to go or reassure me I was heading in the right direction. It could be a strangely coloured house (thank you whoever it was that decided to paint their home orange and pink), a statue, a tree or a familiar shop. These small landmarks were enough to make a difference.
While nowadays I don’t have the same free time and money to do something like this, I still love to take the odd detour home if I have a bit of margin in my day or go for a little walk if I’m somewhere new. I still feel that same small rush when I see the landmarks I need to navigate my way home again. Without these familiar sights, life would just feel disorientating.
Every one of us is on a drive through life and it can be easy to feel lost and disoriented at times. With a constant onslaught of bad news shouted by the media, living through a ridiculous number of “unprecedented” events for one lifetime, and with constant culture shifts and the evolving state of social media, it’s no wonder young people report “feeling lost, directionless or lacking in purpose”.
lost and isolated
To add fuel to this fire, those of us in the Western world are experiencing a loneliness epidemic. Loneliness and social isolation can have incredibly negative effects on health. According to The Medical Journal of Australia, “Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to common chronic diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, diabetes, dementia and depression. Loneliness and social isolation also increase the risk of premature death by 26 and 29 per cent, respectively. Loneliness can adversely affect health through various pathways, such as direct influences on lifestyle, health behaviours and health care utilisation. In addition, it can lead to heightened or excessive stress responses (reduced stress‐buffering) and hinder physiological repair and maintenance processes (eg, insufficient sleep).”
This loneliness epidemic is so prolific that the World Health Organization has launched a Commission on Social Connection which “aims to see the issue recognised and resourced as a global public health priority”.
So, while people are feeling lost in the crazy world we live in, many also feel isolated too—like they have no-one to help them get them back in the right direction. Thankfully I’ve got some good news.
In the same way I would look for landmarks when I was lost on my drives, I have a weekly landmark that reorients me. It’s something I make a priority. It both assures me I’m going in the right direction in some areas of my life and also redirects the areas that are heading in the wrong direction. This is being a part of a church community. It is my weekly landmark of orientation. So, how does it work?
stories told
I have been a part of a few different churches in different places over the years, but the cool thing is that between all of them the same Bible stories are shared and studied. These stories shed light on humanity’s origins, our place in the world, people in history who have overcome great difficulties with God’s help as well as those who have achieved incredible things with God working through them. To gather together to recite these same stories, readings and songs, helps them go deeper into my very being. Even though I know many of the stories well, it never gets old to hear that I’m created with love and for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10) or that I have a Saviour who gave everything for me (John 3:16). The greatest reminder for me is the story that one day that same Saviour, Jesus, will return and make all things new (Relation 21 and 22). I continue to be inspired and filled with hope, but also feel more secure in my identity and purpose.
teaching shared
As well as the stories, I am also reminded that Jesus has a way of life that He calls His followers to. Since Jesus saved me, I really want to know more about Him, the kind of life He lived and the life He calls others to live. In Matthew 5–7 He lays a lot of this out. He calls His followers to not let anger rule their lives (Matthew 5:21–26), to be faithful in their marriage (Matthew 5:27–32), to love everyone—including their enemies (Matthew 5:43–48) and so much more. When we gather around a common framework for living, it gives us not just a direction, but tools to get there.
people present
The church has never been about a building or a program. It’s people. While buildings and programs are great platforms to help people gather, it’s the people who are the church. When I see these people on a weekly basis, striving for the same kind of life I am, it creates relationships of accountability and trust. It is also a community to practise Jesus’ teachings with. For example, Jesus teaches us to love and serve the poor (Matthew 25:40) and in this community, I can find people of all walks of life I can serve. As a community, we also get opportunities to serve others together through a service trip, a community program or even just helping our neighbours.
It is also a community where we can practise unconditional love on each other—where we practice what it looks like to love, even when it’s hard. We don’t always get it right, but we keep showing up and trying.
It is tempting to not lock anything in on the weekends and just be flexible—but something special has happened in my life and in the lives of others, when we have chosen to commit to a church community. I’ve begun to know myself, Jesus and my place in the world more through these eclectic gatherings. It has become my weekly landmark to reorient me in the bewildering journey of life in the 2020s. My prayer is that you find a church community that can be the same for you.
