Day 20: Community
I often think of myself as a community devotee. I love the interconnection of relationships, the joy of genuine communion, the sense of belonging that community brings. This desire for community is deeply Biblical. Christ calls us into community and created community around him while he was on earth. Even the very essence of the Trinity, speaks to the idea of community. The positive power of community is supported by the research in psychology too. People who have healthy social connections are also healthier psychologically and physically. They have improved immune systems, better working memory, less depression, and lower anxiety levels.
However, healthy community does not happen automatically. It takes work and wisdom. It also requires true love, not the sappy variety we see in the movies, but rather the steadfast love we see on the cross. It is a love which is born out in the day to day, one which is made up of a thousand small decisions to choose someone other than ourselves. This is the type of love which does more than just make community; it is a love which draws the world to the community of Christ.
Read Colossians 3:14-15 and John 13:34
Questions to Consider:
Do my daily decisions build community? Are my actions motivated more by love for others or more by trying to coerce others to love me? What 3-4 choices to love can I make today?
Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, please help me to make the daily choice to live in community. Enable me to do the brave work of vulnerability, the tough work of sacrifice, and the deep work of love.
By Dr. Sarah Drivdahl