Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World (17 page)

I WANT TO END THIS BOOK
with a prayer. Without God helping us find our people and keep them, the challenge of finding and keeping our people feels too daunting.

Please pray with me…

AS LONG AS WE ARE
on this earth, we will ache for something bigger, because we were designed for something bigger—something better. We are designed for an intimate relationship with God forever.

Saint Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”
[1]

Humanity had a perfect relationship with God until sin entered the world through Adam and Eve. With sin came the certainty of death and eternal separation from God. The penalty had to be paid. But at the same moment that He named the punishment for the first sin, God issued His promise to provide a way for us to return to Him.

Our sin was to be placed on the perfect sacrifice. God would send His own blameless, perfect Son to bear our sin and suffer our deserved fate—to get us back.

Jesus came, fulfilling thousands of years of prophecy, lived a perfect life, and died a gruesome death, satisfying the
payment for our sin. Then, after three days, He defeated death, rose from the grave, and is now seated with the Father.

Anyone who accepts the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin can be adopted as a child of God. To each one who believes, God issues His very own Spirit to seal and empower us to live this life for and with Him.

We were made for God, and He gave everything so that our souls could finally and forever find their rest in Him.

If you have never trusted Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, you can do that this moment. Just tell Him you need Him and tell Him you choose to trust Him as your Lord and Savior.

Dedicated to my village of friends.

Thanks for making me better.

Thanks for fighting for me.

Thanks for staying.

YOU CANNOT WRITE A BOOK
about finding your people without a whole giant slew of them to support you. God keeps teaching it to me, and I’m not too proud to say this book would not exist without a lot of help.

First, to my main person, Zac: I love you and you keep the trains on their tracks. I could never do this work without your constant encouragement and support. You make me better, and you unleash me to do ministry in this way. I know heaven will boast of the unseen ways you serve me and our kids so this can be true. Thank you.

To Conner, Kate, Caroline, and Coop: Somewhere along the way of parenting, you became my people. Today each of you are among our best friends. I love you and I like you. You believe in me and you cheer for me. Thank you for that. As you know, Dad and I are your biggest fans, and watching you become godly men and women remains the greatest joy in our lives.

To my family: Mom and Dad, the older I get, the more I appreciate your marriage and who you are to me. You are faithful and supportive and forever I am grateful! Carolyn and Randy, you both support us in so many ways. I’m grateful to have you as part of our village these days in Dallas. Thank you. Brooke and Katie (my sisters) and Ashley (my bonus sister-in-law), you three are easily called my dearest friends. The bonus is that you are stuck with me forever as family.

To Chloe: I couldn’t do this without you, any of it. God knew and He called you in a way I will never get over. You make this ministry work. You make my whole life work. Thank you for caring about this as much as I do—and sometimes, when I get weary, more. James, Gray, Will, and Brooks, thank you for sharing your wife and mother.

To my IF:Gathering family: I never dreamed of the family that IF would bring into my life. From sisters around the world to an office full of people I love working with every day. In every way this is for you and because of you. You have made so many sacrifices to be my people and help this happen! Jordyn, Hannah M., Amy, Danielle, Caroline, Lisa, Meg, Katy, Kayley, Kristen, Kali, Aly, Hannah R., Traci, and to our fearless leader, Brooke Mazzariello, you are gifts beyond measure. I am so blessed to be on such a glorious mission with such a kindred team. Thank you for brainstorming with me and making this better.

To Parker: Thank you for pulling together so many of my words so I didn’t start with blank pages! You are my friend, little sister, and teammate. I’m so grateful for your life beside ours these past few years.

To the rest of my village: I couldn’t write this without you. Carla, Liz, Michelle, Ellen, Lindsey, Callie, Davy, Jennie E., and so many others. Thank you for becoming my people so quickly and so beautifully! This book is dedicated to you!

To the Yates & Yates team: Here I am again, thanking you. Nothing about you is half-hearted. You are just all in! It is such a picture of the body of Christ. You spent so much time using your individual gifts behind the scenes to be sure that this is the right message and the best way to display God. Curtis and Karen, you are family to us. And I cannot imagine if we hadn’t met so many years ago. Our lives would not be the same.

To the Proverbs 31 team: Lysa, Shae, Madi, Meagan, Joel, your creativity and input helped shape this project. I’ll never be able to thank you enough!

To the WaterBrook team: Goodness, from our first meeting, I thought you were too good to be true. You all had bigger dreams than I did (and that is saying something), and you so passionately believed in me. You have given me your all, you have shown up, you have thought out of the box about reaching women, you have supported me, even when I get all crazy on you and change the book at the last minute. I honestly could not ask for a better team: Tina, Ginia, Bev, Campbell, Johanna, Chelsea, Lori, Laura W.

And finally to Ashley Wiersma and Laura Barker: This book would not exist or be helpful at all without your love and commitment to it. Ashley, your research, ideas, and creativity made me believe this was a good idea, and you helped it exist!
And, Laura, you and your editing won’t let me settle, even when I want to.

Even though this project involved hundreds of hours of me alone writing, I knew I was not alone. Thank you for taking my crazy calls and caring as much as I do that this be all God wants it to be!