I am pretty much an introvert. When I am overwhelmed by the world, I want to pull back and cocoon. There are lots of others out there like me.

Unfortunately, I think that we introverts all grow up thinking of ourselves as being rather defective because of our introvert natures. We have looked at others who always seemed to be in a big crowd of people and wished that could be us. It just seemed like the right way to be. But it isn't us. Not anywhere close.

I tended to always have a small group of fairly close friends growing up. I wasn't a loner exactly but I was far from being a "big group" kind of person. Whenever one of those close friends moved away or perhaps graduated, I felt a deep sense of loss.

The last few years, though, I have discovered something different in Christian community. I have discovered relationships that naturally carry a level of trust and love which can take years to develop outside of that community.

I have found people who care about me and want to know about me ... and that breaks down my walls of "introverted-ness" and makes me want to know them as well.

It is all very different to me ... but very nice. I finally feel like maybe more than one or two close friends will show up at my funeral someday. (Am I the only person who sometimes thinks about what their funeral will be like?)

Anyway, in the midst of true, authentic Christian community, we can sweep aside all of the trappings of this world. We can care deeply about each other as individuals ... as fellow travelers ... rather than as materialistic beings comparing cars or houses or watches or kids.

Discovering Christian community, and changing one's heart to live genuinely in it, does not occur overnight I do not believe. It takes time to break out of the cast into which we have been molded as humans. But, when you're in the middle of fellow followers and you all share values that point you to what is truly important, you begin to appreciate and live out relationships with each other that are faith-deepening and soul-enriching.

In my case, I cannot change being an introvert ... but I can begin to appreciate other things and see the value of multiple relationships where I am safe.

But we cannot keep this hidden in Christian community ... we are called to carry out what we experience in fellowship with other believers ... and use the things we learn there to break down walls, to bring peace and understanding, and to forge lifelong relationships outside of our local churches as well.

Today I received an email from atgodstable.com which really brought together these thoughts I have been having about community and relationships.

I share it below:

Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

"Bear" – How long will it take before we truly understand that the New Testament authors thought in Hebrew but wrote in Greek? Let me tell you how long. It will take as much time as it takes to realize that the Greek world that underlies our culture seduces us into behaviors that not only do not work but are opposed to God’s point of view. No better example of this tragedy can be found than what happens when we expect this command to work in most churches.

Paul was as Hebrew as they come. As a student of one of the world’s greatest rabbis, he was considered a successor to the position of a teacher of the Torah. In addition, Paul was zealous for the faith. God took those admirable characteristics and used them for His purposes. But that does not mean that Paul lost his Jewish perspective. When Paul tells the newly-formed churches to bear one another’s burdens, he means something very Jewish. Faith is not to be found in my private, inward experience of God. It is to be found in the outward actions that demonstrate that I see the world with God’s eyes. In particular, faith is to be demonstrated by my care for my neighbor. I need to step up to carry take the load from his shoulders. How else can I fulfill the law of the Messiah – to love one another?

You’ve heard all this, I’m sure. But have you thought about what it implies? If I am going to lift the burden off your shoulders, and so fulfill the law of Christ, I must know what burdens you carry. This implies that you and I share our deepest struggles, concerns, hurts and worries. I cannot fulfill the law of Christ if I don’t know what kind of load you carry. I cannot lift you up (Greek bastazo) and support you if I don’t know the real you.

Suddenly, our Greek world is threatened. The Greek world emphasizes private religious experience. It is the world in my heart. It applauds the independent, self-reliant person. It mounts a façade that masks my struggling self. No wonder the very thought of telling you precisely the burdens that weigh me down is so frightening. I don’t want you to think that I am weak. I don’t want you to know that I struggle with secret sins, that I sometimes doubt God’s grace, or that I worry about my life. I want to look like I am in control. I want to be Greek.

The Hebrew view of the world is very different. In the Hebrew view, the struggles of life are part of the process of God’s grace in me. I am weak because all men are weak. I falter because every human heart falters. If I were the perfect person that I pretend to be, I would not need God and I would not need you. When Paul tells us to bear each other’s burdens, he is advocating a view of life as it is, filled with faults and frustrations.

Will it be easy to switch? Of course not. I will always be tempted to protect my ego. But it is essential to change my thinking. Without opening myself so that you see who I really am, I prevent you from fulfilling the law of Christ. Do you think God will forgive me when my ego got in the way of His plan to bring both of us into conformity with His Son? Are you ready to strip off the Greek mask and become Jewish? Start now. Who really knows you?