A Sacred Trio #2
You can find it at a café, a ball game or a meeting. Sometimes it manifests in cozier settings such as a living room, a front yard or a private virtual chat. It happens with a high degree of organization or almost none at all. Smiles, tears, concerns, anger, service and many more such experiences can transpire within it.
Community. The extroverts spend most of their time in it, while introverts sometimes avoid it, yet begrudgingly admit its value. Either way, people need people. We all need some degree and form of community.
The research is replete with this conclusion: isolation ultimately bears primarily negative fruit. So, we seek community.
Vulnerability, trust and letting go are inherent to community. People will let you down and you will probably fall short of their expectations as well. We all get burned at some point. Still, it is worthwhile to connect, to share, to laugh. Only you can decipher where the line will be drawn on sharing and oversharing.
As Henri Nouwen said, “Nothing is sweet or easy about community. Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other as a gesture of hope.” When you connect with others, you gain a sense of belonging, sometimes even a profound measure of refreshment.
Who are your people? Where do you find community? What do you bring and how do you contribute to the lives of others?
Worth Repeating
Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.
-Rollo May
