What if we asked God who to journey with in this next season?

Anyone who’s been around me for longer than five minutes knows that I love Christmas. It’s not just the twinkly lights or yummy food (although that’s lovely!) and it’s not just the fun times with family or, let’s be real, the presents (although yes, I also love all of that!).

If you were to force me to identify the one reason I love Christmas so much (and you told me I wasn’t allowed to give the good Christian answer of “because I love to celebrate Jesus!”), I’d probably talk about the spaciousness of the season. It feels like everyone slows down a little, is a bit kinder, and we have this unique opportunity not to run at one hundred miles an hour for a few days.

It’s a time to pause and take stock of where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’d like to be headed, without the usual day to day pressure of tasks and responsibilities.

Why am I here? What’s my purpose? What’s God’s plan for my life? Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to explore some of these glorious questions.

(Or more accurately, the downtime between Christmas and New Year is the perfect time. I’m not suggesting you’ll want to explore these questions whilst enjoying your turkey on Christmas Day!)

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

Noah’s plan and purpose was to build the ark. Mary’s plan and purpose was to raise the Messiah. John the Baptist’s plan and purpose was to be a fore-runner for Jesus. Jesus’s plan and purpose was to be the Messiah.

These are just four examples, but do you know what they all have in common? They didn’t do it alone! Noah had his wife and his sons helping him. Mary parented with Joseph within a wider community of family members. John had his disciples as did Jesus.

Exploring the plan and purpose for your life in this season is wonderful - but it’s important that you don’t stop there!

If Jesus, God incarnate, needed people around him in order to fulfill his mission, what makes you think you need to be like The Lone Ranger and go it alone? Even The Lone Ranger had Tonto!

Made in God’s image, the first and ultimate example of community, three in one, we were hard-wired for community. We do better when we do life together.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

God has a plan and a purpose for your life and it includes other people. So how do you find these people? The same way you explore the plan and purpose for your life … directly with the Author.

If God’s called you, you can be certain He also knows who you’re to journey with.

One of the most exciting things I did at the end of 2021 was step away from social media and instead allow God to draw people into community with me. He’s since invited me back onto some of the platforms but during that season when He stripped away the illusion of marketing on social media, my community grew in a way it had never grown before.

Why? Because, instead of relying on the world’s business wisdom, I simply showed up when and where Holy Spirit invited me to show up - podcasts, guest blog posts, preaching - and trusted Him to do what only He can do and lead the right people to me.

Hear my heart … this is not me telling you that if you jump off social media, the right people for your calling will appear. I was following the lead of the Holy Spirit. Seeking God’s heart for what was best for me in that season, being sensitive to His voice, and then moving as He led.

For me, in that season it was stepping away from social media. He needed to heal my heart of some stuff. For you it might be something different. The key is to simply ask. Ask, expecting God to answer you. He loves doing life with you, He’s not distant and aloof, so ask Him what it looks like for you to build your team, your community, your tribe.

The word you use to describe your people is less important than the act of actually having a conversation with God about them. There are more than eight billion people on the planet right now and God knows and loves each and every one of them. Why not have a conversation with Him about how you are the answer to some of those people’s prayers?

With that end of the year reminder: If having conversations with God isn’t something you’ve done much or feel comfortable with, Holy Spirit and I wrote a short and sweet little book that will help and, as a reader of The Good Christian Company blog, you get to download a copy for free.

Click here to download your copy, no email opt-in needed - but don’t just download it. Read it! Explore the questions with Holy Spirit - and prepare for an amazing adventure with God in 2023! May God bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you, and give you peace. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you and yours!