As you read this, most of the Blessed is She Team is gathered on retreat.

We are a small community of extraordinarily ordinary women—a room full of sinners striving for sainthood—serving a globe full of other beautiful women. We’ve lived unique experiences; we come from different places and backgrounds; we’re all in different life stages and vocations. Just like you. Just like the tax collector, Saint Matthew, and the rest of the misfit disciples, ranging from simple tradesmen to zealous revolutionaries.

It’s surprising that we’re not simply friends, but united, sharing the deepest parts of our hearts. Yet here we are together because of our mutual friend, Jesus Christ.

It’s He Who unites us. He Who animates us to love better, to see opportunities for beauty and fruit and relationship where otherwise we’d see only stark differences.

What’s more: Christ doesn’t just bring us together for each other. He brings us together for Himself.

Jesus was actually friends with His disciples, despite their countless faults. He ate and laughed with them. He fell asleep in a storm-tossed boat with them. He liked them!

Sure, He needed His quiet prayer time here and there. But Jesus actually wanted to hang out with them–just as He wants to hang out with us. He wants to be friends with us. He wants to share every big and little part of our day, every second of our entire lives.

In return, Jesus longs to share every part of His life with us. So much, in fact, that He invites us into His ministry, giving us specific gifts to share. He calls us, just as He called Saint Matthew, to step out of our sin and into friendship with Him—to form community with others.

Usually we’d rather stick to our comfortable bubble with others just like us. But He shows us the epic potential of calling the least likely together—to encourage each other in joys, struggles, doubts, and questions—ultimately bringing Him glory as we walk this hard, confusing, sacrificial, love-filled, insanely rewarding path called holiness.

[bctt tweet="Christ doesn’t just bring us together for each other. He brings us together for Himself. // @PosImperfect" username="blessedisshe__"]

Learn more about our team here.

Megan Hjelmstad is a wife and mom 24/7 and an Army Reservist in her “spare” time. She is the Stories Manager for the Blessed is She Instagram account. She’s a bibliophile, tea drinker, sleep lover, and avid admirer of Colorado’s great outdoors. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up. When the writing bug hits, you can find out more about her here.