The Tribe

I have a tribe. I felt at home with them, like they were my family. The tribe took me in when I was lost. The enemy managed to destroy what little strength I had back then, and left me wounded in the dark. The tribe carried me home and cared for me until I could stand. No one knew of my past until I told them, and it did not seem to matter to them. I was accepted as I was. This was my tribe.

My tribe is my church. I walked into the building after being separated because of social distancing and immediately felt at peace. This is a community of people, a family in a sense. My tribe is not without fault; no tribe is perfect. Nevertheless, I need this tribe.

“For His body has been formed in His image and is closely joined together and constantly connected as one. (Eph 4:16a, TPT)”

We are connected by design.

No matter what we do, we are connected.

Who is your tribe? If you are someone in recovery, where do you fit in your tribe? If you feel lost and disconnected, where is your place in the tribe?

“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. (Eph 4:16,ESV)”

If you are a child of God, you belong to the body. According to scripture, the body is held together by every joint, every part. We are connected by design. We hold each other together. In a tribe, my term for a smaller community within the body of Christ, we still hold each other together. We all have a place, a position in the tribe. When each part is working properly, we will build our tribe up in love.

You are an important part of your tribe, just as you are an important part of the body. For the body to grow, we need you.

I am going to say this again. Who is your tribe? Where do you fit in?

I admit, sometimes I don’t feel like I am part of the tribe. I feel disconnected and alone, but I am never alone. I forget my position in the tribe.

In recovery, it is vitally important to be connected. We have to help each other be a “functioning” part of the body. When each part is working properly we will grow, we will move forward. I believe this is just as true for the local church. My tribe needs each part to work properly, so that we can grow and move forward. The head, the tail, and all the parts in between have to do their jobs correctly. What is your role in the tribe? How can we help you to work properly? No matter who you are, or what experiences you have, we need you – and we need you to function.

As the world continues to work to socially distance, I challenge you to connect. Find your tribe, or reconnect with your tribe. A tribe is the community where you belong. If you are not part of a tribe, be part of mine!

We will carry you home and care for you until you can stand…