In church on Sunday, the sermon topic was biblical community. One question has stayed with me: Can I follow Jesus the way He intended me to without letting other followers into my life?

I tried to live without that community for many years. I believed in God, and I knew I had accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation, but I wasn’t living in community. I thought I was protecting myself from being hurt by other believers the way I had been before.

I’ve also been thinking about community in relation to my own healing from betrayal. When someone you trusted betrays you, it can make the world feel unsafe. Not only did my husband betray our marriage covenant, but my former longtime best friend betrayed me too. She was the “other person.” Since discovery, I have wondered what is true, who is safe, and whether I can let anyone close again. It can feel easier to pull back and try to carry the pain by myself. But that isn’t the way God wants me to follow Jesus.

Acts 2:42 says the early believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Their fellowship wasn’t just sitting together for a few hours and then going home. They shared life. They noticed when someone had a need and stepped in to help (Acts 2:44–45). They were learning to follow Jesus together.

I found that kind of community when I joined Unseen Beauty, a support group for betrayed wives. Before then, I had not found anyone who understood the pain of betrayal and could sit with me in it. I didn’t have to explain every layer of the experience before I felt understood. Their presence helped me feel less alone. Their faith helped remind me that my story and my healing were still in God’s hands.

I need people who help me grow, too. Proverbs 27:17 says that one person sharpens another. For me, that can look like encouragement, honest questions, prayer, or someone reminding me of what is true when fear or shame is speaking loudly. It also means being willing to receive help. I don’t have to pretend I’m fine. I need people who will keep pointing me toward Jesus, even when things are hard. I have found that kind of encouragement in Unseen Beauty.

Sometimes we need people to help us carry what feels too heavy. Galatians 6:2 tells us to bear one another’s burdens. Betrayal can leave me carrying grief, confusion, fear, and exhaustion. Sometimes a friend’s help is simply listening without trying to fix everything. Sometimes it’s a text, a meal, a prayer, or remembering to ask how I’m doing after a difficult conversation or appointment. Letting someone care for me doesn’t mean I’m weak or that I lack faith. God often cares for us through the people He puts in our lives.

I also know that not every group or Christian friendship is automatically safe. We still need wisdom. Trust takes time. Someone who cares about me should not pressure me to minimize the harm, rush forgiveness, trust before trust has been rebuilt, or make a decision before I’m ready. Grace and truth both matter. I need people who can make room for honesty, respect my boundaries, and point me toward Christ.

Another thing I thought about from Sunday’s sermon is that the care we receive can help us care for someone else. Acts 2 describes the believers gathering and sharing life together, and says the Lord added to their number (Acts 2:46–47). Jesus said people would know His disciples by their love for one another (John 13:35). The care I’ve received through Unseen Beauty has helped me see how I might be there for another woman – to listen, encourage her, and help her find wise support as she walks through betrayal and considers healthy boundaries. Romans 12:5 says that though we are many, we are one body in Christ, and we belong to one another.

I’m grateful I don’t have to follow Jesus alone. I can ask myself, Who knows me well enough to help me keep following Him? And who might God be inviting me to know more deeply, so I can walk with her too?

Community hasn’t erased the betrayal or made healing happen overnight. But God has used faithful women in my life to remind me of what is true, help carry what feels too heavy, and walk beside me as I take the next step. I am very grateful for that!