Community these days is challenging because life people have increasingly prioritised stratification in almost every aspect of life, choosing distance over intimacy. In some lands (yes, Western for the most part), everyone is a stranger, so unless you’re interacting with people you know (and I mean friends and family), you may feel isolated – at work with colleagues, in your community where neighbours may also be strangers.
It really starts with being available for people, especially those closest to you – so much is happening in peoples’ lives, and they (we all) need a listening ear (and helping hands). Community involves ‘doing life’ with people, not merely giving them a tokenistic sum of money or once in a while ‘catch-up’ and calling it a day. When we live this way, we do ongoing ‘therapy’ with one another, which the Bible calls ‘iron sharpening iron’ (Proverbs 27:17). Trivial things get dealt with more immediately, and don’t fester to become complications that are difficult to iron out later on.
But you can’t be all things to all people, so some people get more of your time, others get less of it. When everyone (or even just most people) look after their circles, someone is always available, and no one has to go without support. No one person needs to over-exert themselves, and there is time for a break every now and then because someone will always cover you. Lock yourselves up in your respective cubicles, and things go unspoken and unresolved.
If we all gave love instead of just going around looking for it, we would ironically all find what we’re looking for (this is ironic according to backwards human thinking, but makes perfect sense if you see the world the right way up – that is, God’s way – cf. Luke 6:38, Acts 20:35, Proverbs 11:25, Mark 12:31, Matthew 6:33).
Do you ever wonder just how much fear and anxiety nowadays could be allayed by heeding these principles?
Have a thoughtful day.
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