Power of a few

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I believe in the power of a few.

No man is an island. Every person needs people to nudge them in the right direction, keep them accountable, walk the journey of life with them etc. This also brings in conflicts, misunderstandings, assumptions that no one wants. When we choose to be involved in people's lives or welcome people in our lives we have to be ready for whatever baggage this might bring. A friend I respect said, where two or three are gathered together, milk is spilled by somebody. The solution is to bring plenty of paper towels to the gathering.

Jesus said where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in the midst. There has to be a common purpose for the coming together. This has to be clearly understood by everyone involved. Without clarity, all the efforts might not bear fruits hence leading to untold frustrations even with the purest intentions.

Margaret Mead said, "never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Now, this quote looks like it only applies to national or community-related issues. I find it very relevant when it comes to our own private worlds, our life journeys.  We are relational beings and to that extent, we find that our lives are connected to other people. It’s interesting how we may have a list of very many friends but none on this list could be considering us a friend. To them, we could just be another person in their lives.

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One of the most powerful things is to have your key relationships in your life. As Pst. Robert Burale puts it, your four key people. The one pulling you ahead, another one covering your back, another helping with your strengths, while the other with your weakness. I wonder how many of us have a few in their lives who know them very well and can help them grow. In most cases, we would like to look like we are all ok. We are self-sufficient and hence we don't need anybody. This is a big lie. We need a few people who we have given permission to speak into our lives. Those who can ask us the hard questions in life.

As I continue to walk the path I find myself into, I continue to realize how much I need people around me. People who will be honest and have the courage to demand answers from me. People who care enough that they will not watch me fall into a ditch. They will be ready to act in the long-term best interest of me. No matter what the situation is. Hopefully, I can also do the same for them. This has to be a few committed people. You can't achieve maximum benefit from this from a multitude of people. 

Having a few people committed to you is great for Support, Encouragement, and Accountability (S.E.A.), Friendship, hanging out, authentic relationship and staying on course with basic disciplines. It would also help if you know an area in your life where you need help or to work on. While together you need to fight for the highest possible good of each other. It would be helpful to Liberate each other by continually asking these questions. This can be done weekly or monthly to assess your journey together with a few:

·         What specific support and challenge do we need to offer to each other?

·         What is the tendency or pattern most undermining each other’s influence?

·         How do we help each other get to the next level?

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Who in your life have you given permission to ask the hard questions? Who knows you better and can point it out if you are getting into trouble? Who do you have guiding you forward? Who is that friend covering your back? Who is taking care of your weaknesses and watching over your strength? 

If this resonates with you, find a few people. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with… Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s life experiences with.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you…

By Gabriel Achayo.