Spiritual companion

“Wow, you made it! I am so proud of you!” A friend hurray for me after teaching and accompanying me to cook rice with a pot (yes, not a rice cooker) and to saute pak choy. “I heard that you helped clean up last night, so proud of you!” Another friend left this encouragement. People who know me even for a short time would know how ignorant I am to kitchen works. Cooking, washing dishes, cleaning up, etc. Therefore my friends had a good reason to be that excited.

While looking at the white rice and pak choy my friend and I made together with pride, what touched my heart deeper was that there would be friends genuinely feeling happy for my growth. So does spiritual walk. After hearing my disjointed sharing on what God has been teaching me this summer, my other friend said so with her genuine smile permeated with joy, “Wow, it is really amazing God is showing you these and teaching you so much!” Whether I know how to make pak choy or whether my faith is growing doesn’t make their life easier or necessarily better, but I believe the joy for people’s growth is out of genuine love and care.

Sometimes it is so easy to fall in a trap thinking that we should bear everything on our shoulder without bothering even our spiritual friends. I was in that trap too. I refrained myself from sharing the growth of my life, because I thought it would be an act of boasting. I seldom shared the struggles I was going through, for I didn't want to burden others on top of the many other burdens they already had. But through some uncommon friendships and spiritual communities, God has been guiding me to experience the meaning of the Body of Christ -- “we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)

While knowing that God is the ultimate source of love, joy and comfort, the Body of Christ is a gracious gift from Him to enrich the walk of faith. To dig out joy even in the midst of trials, to multiply happiness when the fruit of life germinates, to have each other’s back when the storms and waves get so raging, to watch each other’s back especially in rough seasons and tranquil times potentially lead to complacency, to share burdens that is unbearable for any individual yet not consider each other as burden, and to minister to the heart of our Heavenly Father in unique way that brings a big smile on His face.

There are different programs / activity planning / theories as attempts to consolidate a spiritual community. But ultimately, it is God’s love, compassion and righteousness that bond together any deep spiritual relationship in unity.

“If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
‭‭(1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:26‬)