the protection of community

sometimes He puts a hedge of protection- emotionally or otherwise- around us via the people He's given us to live life with.

just saw a beautiful picture of this in a movie about a swedish church choir. one member of the choir- gabriella- was being abused almost daily, & even in front of people in the town on occasion, by her husband conny. he wasn't a fan of her choir participation, & he came one night to a rehearsal. this was at a point when gabriella was finally seeking an end to the abuse & had reached out to the choir asking them what to do & where to go for safety. when he walked in the door at rehearsal, gabriella was on the front row. terrified. the members of the choir began to shift one by one, standing in front of grabriella & crowding around her, literally hedging her in. their eyes were fixed on conny, challenging him to lay a finger on her. after glaring back for a moment, suppressing his rage, conny turned & walked out.

what an awesome representation of the way a community of people can protect their own. how often has He helped us, kept us safe, nurtured us through the surrounding of the family of believers.

"you, Lord, are a shield around me"
-psalm 3:3