The Comfort of Knowing

Written by Katy Wrona, Executive Director of Communities of Transformation

“Friendship is the comfort of knowing that even when you feel alone, you aren’t.”

When I was a little girl, I remember learning many life lessons. My dad taught me how to balance a check registry at the dining room table. My swim coach taught me the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle. My pastor spoke..in length..about God’s love and a relationship with Christ.

As children we absorb everything around us. The importance of relationships was unspoken as I watched my family, my church community, my teammates, and my school friends walk through life together. The absence of community was so foreign that I couldn’t even imagine it.

As an adult when I followed my calling into community ministry, I entered into a season where I had no deep connection with anyone. At the same time, I began working with an organization that modeled relational ministry as a holistic approach to poverty alleviation.

In my journey to develop a community of support for myself, I learned to value the beauty of relationships in a way I never had before. I learned the power of having a diverse, authentic, and nurturing community meet you where you are and walk with you. I learned about the opportunity for growth by being challenged with different beliefs, perspectives, life experiences, and views of scripture.

In one of my loneliest and most overwhelming moments of community ministry, my friend and partner in ministry walked into my office and asked me what was next and how could they help. I wasn’t alone.

Each of us walk different paths but each of us will encounter individuals along the way who have the potential to make an impact in our lives. Are we seeking those individuals? Are we seeking to be that person for someone else? Are we opening our eyes to the beauty in the faces of our community? And if we aren't, let us begin.