Gathering

In Matthew 18:20 Jesus taught, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them” (Christian Standard Bible). I can think of nothing that pleases God more than to see his daughters gather together to learn and to lift, to give love and feel love.

As with so many good things in life, Satan has others plans. He would keep women from gathering at all if he could. If he can’t keep us from gathering, he makes us feel isolated and uncomfortable in a group, as though we don’t really belong. He would have us believe we are too different from each other to really connect or get us so focused on comparisons that our hearts are filled with envy. How careful we have to be not to fall into his traps!

God, on the other hand, wants his daughters to come together and bless each other in beautiful ways. He wants us to notice each other and invite others into our circles, into our conversations. He wants us to acknowledge and appreciate our own unique gifts and abilities and to see ourselves as His army of sisters for goodness and light. God wants us to gather.

It is in gathering that we can feel His presence.

It is in gathering that we can strengthen our faith and the faith of those around us.

It is in gathering that we can build true and lasting friendships.

It is in gathering that we can mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort.

It is in gathering that we can start to heal what hurts.

It is in gathering that we can find peace, love, hope and joy.

So gather!

Wherever you are, gather. There are more ways to gather now than ever before—when we can’t gather to a physical location, we can gather through phone calls or online. Pray to find those who want to gather too. Once you’re gathered, remember what God would want that gathering to look like. You can think of these words from Elaine Cannon, who spoke to a gathering of women many years ago:

“As we spend this time together, may we find something that will help us as we sing our songs and live our lives, help us in our similarities as well as in our differentness, in our public and private problems, and in our copings and our contributions. May the Spirit of the Lord.…fill us with love, with joy, and with understanding so that we may feel close to each other and be moved to become more like him.”