I cried this morning in Sunday school. It’s not an unusual occurrence. I teach a women’s class of various ages, and often there will come a point in the lesson that brings me tears. Sometimes I’m moved by the deep truths of all that God has done for me. Sometimes it’s the reminder that I need Him so much. Sometimes I cry tears of relief because I remember the gift of resting in Him. But often I’m brought to tears because I’m looking into the faces of women that I love, women who have laughed and cried with me and helped me through hard times and nod with understanding when I talk about how far I am from the holiness of Jesus. Women who love me without conditions, who teach me how to follow the Lord, and who hold me up when I think I can’t go another step along the narrow road.

There’s something so special about the imperfect, messy ways that Christians love each other. I have put my foot in my mouth so many times. I have displayed wrong attitudes and revealed the darkness in my own heart by letting my feelings get in the driver’s seat. I have said downright idiotic things to some of these women, and yet they keep showing up. They keep loving me and encouraging me and spurring me on to good works and better thinking and more spiritual attitudes.

It doesn’t take long when reading the New Testament to start seeing how messy the church has been from day one. Churches are made up of sinners, and sinners sin against each other. Relationships are complicated. We’ll all be discouraged, hurt, embarrassed, or angered by someone in our church if we stick around long enough, and we’ll all discourage, hurt, embarrass, or anger someone in our church if we get involved at all. Anytime human beings with the ability to speak start trying to carry out a challenging mission together, we will say things that are wrong or thoughtless or stupid. That’s just the way of humanity, even when we’ve been changed by Christ. The thing is, within the church, we do have the power through the Holy Spirit to forgive, to recover, to rekindle affection, to overlook, to have just as strong a relationship after a disagreement or setback as we did before the trouble started. It’s a rare thing in a world filled with experts who tell us to have rock hard hearts. Church is where we can find and nurture and expect and extend tenderness of heart toward one another.

I have certainly been on the receiving end of a lot of grace through all these years in church. When Jesus said that the world would know who the believers are by our love for each other, I don’t know if He was just giving a directive there. I think He may have also been stating a fact about what church would be like through the Spirit’s power. The truth is that without the power of God, few of us will have the strength of will to live in harmony with our fellow Christians even while so much imperfection complicates our relationships. But through the Spirit, we have the power for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, despite the problems. We each possess the strength to embrace each other as we are and push each other toward something even greater.

Growth is a result of patient nurturing, not demands for better behavior or, worse, cold silence and distance. I’m so grateful for all those who have extended grace and mercy to me through all these years. You show me who Jesus is. Growth is slow, and I’m slower than some, but as long as I’m a part of a church, I know that I’ll never be trying to grow alone. God’s grace is so apparent here, in this provision that He knew we would need: each other. We’re messy, but His glory shines through in our love, our humility, our forgiveness. Where we struggle in these things, there is help in the power of the Spirit. Let’s keep growing.