One of my deepest joys is hearing from readers who are walking together in the journey of spiritual formation. Though it can be a risk to entrust ourselves to each another, God created us in community, for community. We’re called to the ministry of encouragement, to help one another notice and name the work of the Spirit in us and among us.

This is the story of Mary and Elizabeth in Luke’s gospel. Mary, having received the angel’s word that she will bear Christ, races to see her elderly cousin. Immediately, Elizabeth recognizes the work of the Spirit in Mary’s life and celebrates it. Elizabeth offers the encouragement we all need when we’re waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled: “Yes, the Spirit is doing something new in you! I hear it. I glimpse it. Christ is being formed in you. And even if the promise seems impossible, I am with you to affirm it, because God is doing impossible things for me too.”

It’s a privilege to keep watch with one another, both in the joys and the sorrows.

For the past three years I’ve been privileged to be in a community of encouragement with other writers who are longing to bear Christ to the world even as we long for Christ to be formed in ever-deepening ways in us. What a gift it is to have a place where we can vulnerably share the ways we’re being stretched in that process of formation. Being in a prayer group like this is like being surrounded by a team of midwives who can share the intimate places of my soul, cheer me on when I grow discouraged, and remind me to breathe through all the painful and enlarging contractions of the birthing process—whether I’m in the labor pangs of giving birth to a new book or endeavoring to persevere in hope while I wait for God to give birth to new things in my life and in the lives of those I love and long for.

It’s a privilege to keep watch with one another, both in the joys and the sorrows. The Apostle Paul calls us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15). But inhabiting these tender places requires trust. We need to be confident that the ones who are alongside us are for us. It’s a generous gift we offer one another when we pledge, by the grace of God, to be trustworthy stewards of one another’s stories—especially the stories that are difficult to tell.

Think of the mixture of confusion, fear, and excitement Mary must have felt when she ran to her cousin’s house to tell her story. Imagine her relief when she encountered not shame, scorn, or disbelief, but the gift of affirmation and solidarity. Elizabeth serves as the best kind of model for us as we seek to share the journey of prayer and faith in community.

The truth is, building trust takes time. But the six of us began with a common longing to accompany one another with honesty and courage, and we’ve reaped the blessings of this commitment again and again. If you’re already sharing the journey with others, take a moment and give God thanks for the gift of your traveling companions. Or maybe you’re longing to go deeper in community. What next steps might you take? I’d love to hear from you about the blessings and challenges of being in community and hope you’ll leave a comment below.

May you, like Mary, not only have the courage to say yes to God’s work, but also the desire to seek and find the gift of companionship as Christ is formed in you.

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If you have already signed up for my newsletter, thank you! However, to qualify, I’ll still need record of your entry through the linked form. (Don’t worry! You won’t be signed up twice.)

To enter the grand prize (all six novels) enter each giveaway of the Transformational Fiction Giveaway Tour. Visit my sister in faith and fiction Robin Johns Grant for her post A Matter of Trust: Vulnerability in an Online Prayer Group and a chance to win her novel Summer’s Winter!

Giveaway Disclaimer: Ends Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 11:59pm CST. All Transformational Fiction Giveaway winners will be announced Monday, March 11, 2019, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize or thereby forfeit to the runner up. Participants must enter all 6 giveaways to be considered for the grand prize drawing. Limited to US residents only. Must be 18 or older to enter.

Sharon Garlough Brown is an author, spiritual director, and retreat leader who is passionate about shepherding others deep into the love of God. She and her husband, Jack, have served congregations in Scotland, Oklahoma, England, and West Michigan, and currently direct Abiding Way Ministries, providing spiritual formation retreats and resources. Sharon enjoys all things British–especially tea–and loves when her son says, “Mom, would you like me to put the kettle on?”

For more information, visit her website.