"Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ" - Ephesians 4:12

For the past several months, my family has been going through a tough time, to say the least. It is a situation I never thought we would have to go through as a family, and I certainly wouldn't wish it upon anyone else. Through this rough patch, however, do you know who was there for me? Who was there to pick me up when I was shattered on the ground, who was there to dust me off and tell me that I'm not alone. My church. My church was there for me in my desperate time of need. Yes, I do mean the whole church. Not one person; not just the pastor or just his wife; the church.

This time, has caused me to realize just how important my church family is. They are the family that will be there for you when you're actual family can't be. They are the ones who can fill the gap when you are feeling lost and alone. These are people that I would legitimately give my life for because we all have a common love for the one who gave His life for us. They cry with me, laugh with me, celebrate with me, and even mourn with me. They have helped me grow so much more than I would have expected. They have taught me how to love Jesus with such an intensity that the thought of not having Him actually scares me. They have taught me how to be a leader and that it is okay to have multiple passions. They have taught me how to love and serve others and how to build other people up to grow the church that God has created for us.

My church family has been there for me in times ranging from me being so sad and distraught that I can't even drive, to times when I just had a craving for chocolate. I mean this very literally. The above-mentioned rough patch that my family is going through happened very abruptly for me. When I found out, I actually had to leave my house, and the first stop I made was my church. I knew people would be there, and I knew that was where I needed to be. I arrived, and two of the women from church come out and immediately greet me with hugs and affection. Not asking any questions, just giving me the love they knew I needed in that moment and prayed for me right on the spot without even knowing what was going on. That is everything that church family is.

On an even more personal level, my serve team specifically has been there with me through thick and thin. This is a group of people who I would choose to spend my free time with any day of the week. I became a youth leader because I am passionate about the teenagers in our church, and I want to see them grow. What I didn't expect to happen was to gain such a close bond with the people who serve alongside me to spend time with these crazy teenagers. I look forward to our meetings together at the end of every youth group because it is a time that we can just spend time together with just the leaders and talk about how much we love the teenagers and how we all share this same goal to see them grow. We are all children at heart, and that is very clear when we are gathered together, and it is amazing, that is why I enjoy being around them so much. We feed off of each other's energy and act just as old as the teenagers that we serve.

Words cannot effectively describe the impact that my church family has had on me. I love them so much that it hurts, and I would drop everything and run to them if they needed it and I know they would do the same for me. Not a lot of people can say that they have an army fighting behind them at all times, but people who have a church family can. I encourage anyone who is reading this to find their own church family if you don't already have one. Discovery Church in Weymouth, MA is a true family. I invite you to come, join us on a Sunday morning or Saturday night and meet our family. And if not, find another church family you want to be a part of and get plugged into a serve group so you can have the same experience I do with my wonderful fellow youth leaders. You won't know how deep your love can go until you get around the right group of people.