Juggling Community
By Jesse Hulling
Life is busy, and our normal rhythms have been slowly eroded over the past year. We have been forced to adjust to a new normal and adapt to consistent inconsistency. Throughout the pandemic, there have been pockets where life has been simple and calm. On the flip side, quarantining with kids and family could be described as chaotic isolation. Being home with kids has afforded many the luxury of extra time in their lives but has blurred work and play boundaries. Others have felt the brunt of isolation and have been silently coping throughout the year. No matter our situation, life has felt like a juggling act in the last year. We are constantly being forced to adapt to new changes and rhythms on almost a weekly basis.
Community is a cherished practice of the church and constantly morphing throughout the pandemic. As creatures made in the image of God, we are created for relationship and meant to be in community. Zoom screens are unfortunate substitutes for in-person gatherings and sometimes leave us feeling more isolated and fatigued. Involuntary isolation has intensified our sense of independence. Families have been forced to hibernate, single folks have embraced new levels of loneliness, and people have limped along through the pandemic with minimal levels of human interaction.
Covid is not creating a new problem for community but has exposed a porous wound that has lingered for years. Covid has escalated the American value of independence. This Western mindset embodies the spirit of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Covid has exposed and accelerated this pervasive mindset by forcing millions of Americans to retreat to their self-made fortresses. We have learned a sinister truth this past year; that we can white-knuckle our way through life in isolation. This truth is sinister because life lacks its illustrious flavor without the joy of relationships. While we can limp through life without normal human interaction levels, we have also learned that life is painfully bleak without community.
Countercultural to the message of independence, we are created to be dependent. We are needy creatures that require food, water, sleep, and rest daily. On a deeper level, we need love, attention, affirmation, encouragement, laughter, meaningful conversations, and spiritual rest found through the love and support of community. We are created with needs that cannot be fulfilled without others' intervention. Yet, the lie of culture indoctrinates us into believing that dependency is weakness. In reality, independence is an illusion that masks itself in fancy houses, nice cars, steady careers, and picturesque family photos. All the while, we remain hungry for attention, starving for love, and famished for the means of grace channeled through community.
And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25
This verse is a rallying cry for the church in 2021. We must not forsake meeting together, even if that means connecting over a zoom screen. Community is essential for Christians and not an optional extracurricular activity. We are created for community, and it's a gift given to us by God. As a church, we are a family and must continue to encourage and stimulate one another toward love and good deeds. In response to our independent tendencies, we need to permit ourselves to admit that we have needs. We are all hurting. Statistics during Covid constantly reinforce the narrative of struggling marriages, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and myriad forms of mental health. The Christian community is not exempt.
It's okay not to be okay.
When we stop lying to ourselves and the people around us, we allow the church to be the church. Sometimes our worst fear is coming off needy and being a burden to others. We have bought the lie that being needy is weakness. Brothers and sisters, we are needy creatures made to depend on Jesus every day. The Bible describes us as wandering sheep, easily distracted, and enticed by the cares of the world. If we are honest, we need each other more than we ever like to admit. Independence isn't strength but a self-defense mechanism devised to make you feel safe.
Interdependence is what we must strive for us as a church in 2021. This word fits nicely into Paul's metaphor of the church body functioning in union together. The concept of mutuality is applied in interdependence. Everybody has a part to play in community; otherwise, the body suffers. Practically, we need to consistently let the people in our life know that we value and need them. There is power in admitting our need for friendship and relationships in our life. The beauty of interdependence is delayed when we choose independence. When we pursue interdependence and admit our needs, we allow others to reciprocate. This, in turn, initiates a cycle of mutual love and sacrifice that is often absent in the Christian community.
We need community, and throughout the past year, it has felt like a juggling act. Community is hard, and it takes work. Many of us feel exhausted and worn down, but the pandemic is not an excuse to take a break. We must not give up because we are created to be in community.
We can start this week by letting the people in our lives know that we value and need them. It's not weakness to admit need, but a gift that God graciously invites us into. Take courage; we aren't in this alone.