I feel the tremors of community this week.
I have a lot to say on the concept over the next few months.
Like a rock tossed into the sea our actions create waves that reverberate over the people around us. Everything we do affects more than ourselves. That’s hard to understand.
Community is lost these days in America. It really is. How many of us even know our neighbor? Everyday I walk past some strange man in a sweatshirt and give a half-cockeyed glance of confusion that probably tells him “Get out of my junk man, I don’t need you in my life essay.” When instead I should be smiling, saying hello, inviting this man into my life.
Why? He is my neighbor.
Why don’t I commune with him?
Neighbors are replaceable. Right?
I can always move away. I can always go to a new place. How many of us have seen or even ourselves taken up and left after a bad bout of church politics? Two hundred years ago this was near impossible. It would’ve been an awful idea to ignore your neighbor. I mean, without cars and airplanes, one can hardly hope to travel faster than the word of people. Community was this incredibly important piece of life we couldn’t just discard.
I come from a very close knit community of believers, a special group of people who probably will have little reunions in heaven where we joke about shaving beards and laugh at Tom Taylor. He always was the most lovable man to look like Mr. Toad I have ever met. You hear the title occasionally…
Word of Life, WOLBI, the BI.
It’s a special group. Hundreds of people united by a common experience and whether or not we are personally acquainted or best friends, we all have this unique connection. It wasn’t our theology, it wasn’t our rules, it wasn’t our d-hours that connected us. It was Jesus. I adore this group. We all spent years together sharing the gospel, sweating during camp, washing each others dishes.
Washing each others feet.
While not everyone shares this affinity for them, this week really was eye-opening to see the uniqueness of that community in several ways.
While most of us see each other as mere specters through “The Facebook,” we tend to be aware of different things going on. Occasionally messages and “I’m praying for you,” go out toward each other. The real treat is when we unite and talk until an ungodly hour about the fun adventures, the crazy hijinks, Dale and Kyle putting underwear on a flag pole. We watch marriages blossom and babies be born. We watch college graduations and road trips happen. We see the normal lives of each other through this modern social media lens.
That’s why this week has been really heart-wrenching for many of my friends from school. Heart-wrenching for me personally. It’s a really somber week. As numerous tragedies strike our “WOLBI” community, I get a slight glimpse how much our actions still affect the hundreds we interacted with.
Until We Meet Again – Showbread
For those that don’t know, a really incredible man of God passed away this week. Resonating with everyone I’ve encountered was just overall shock at the whole matter. He honestly touched so many lives. As I think upon our conversations at the lunch tables, quoting the Simpsons when no one else could, and his uproarious sense of humor that lit a room up… As I think about my summer on the Island where I stood looking on with admiration at one of the best counselors I’ve ever seen… as I hear people share story after story of a life changed by his very presence… As campers keep commenting on his Facebook about how they personally had lives changed by his presence… Warm memories rise up intermingled with sadness.
All I’ve heard is time and time again about how much he touched everyones life.
Tons of people are praying for his family. Tons of people are mourning the loss of such a good person. I am mourning the loss of such a world-shaking man of God.
It is painful. Many lives are left hurting during a time like this. Hard questions come to our minds and hearts. Everything from questioning the purpose and plan of God… to simply wondering if things could have been different if we just loved each other deeper.
Then this morning I saw a couple from our school lost a child and is handling the whole loss with more humility and grace then I could imagine to muster during this time. A beautiful picture of a trust in God and the Lord that I could not fathom. We’ve spent time at camp together. Combed the woods for the “Fanny Phantom.” Spoke in broken Japanese. We’ve made memories together, however brief. I’m ashamed to admit, while I occasionally prayed through the Facebook. I had no idea I could have been REALLY praying for this child. On my knees, spending deep time, praying for this precious gift to this world. I could’ve taken the time to reach out in love and just been more aware.
It hit me today.
I am so unaware.
Life is so precious. We are not guaranteed tomorrow.
The question has to be asked, a hard question.
WHAT are we doing?
How is our life changing? Did we really learn anything this week? Regardless of what happened in your life or others, did you have a take-away?
Because I hope, I REALLY hope that moments like this do not hit us as another newspaper headline. Just another sad moment in life. I hope that communal ache in our hearts and souls will lead us to action. I hope these tragedies will wrench our hearts and move us to wrap compassionate arms around our friends. To remember the people who we went to the trenches with. That we will weep and mourn and hit our knees. That we will question and wrestle and ask God “Why? Where is my responsibility?” instead of just merely moving on in complacent thought.
I hope these moments will lead us to reach out and love each other deeper, treasure each others smiles more, write those letters that we ALWAYS think we have time to write.
Yet never seem to ever finish…
What does it take for us to wake up, to reach out, to connect with others and our community?
So many of us walk around living our life thinking fondly about people we appreciate and yet never taking the time to tell them! We don’t connect with old friends. We don’t reconcile old pains and ask for forgiveness. We don’t pursue that community like we should. We hold onto petty grudges and human failures. What do we even get out of it? Is it even worth it to be bitter, angry, or unforgiving? I’m so guilty of this.
I have learned the fake life of people and live out shallow relationships because I have never taken the time or risk to say, “Let’s cut the crap out. How’s your heart? Where do you struggle? I’m sorry I failed you. I’ll go first, this is where I struggle…”
I’m preaching to myself here.
When was the last time you just asked someone for help or to vent?
How often have I vegged out to “The Walking Dead” when I haven’t accomplished ANYTHING for the kingdom that day? How often have I looked at a friend on Facebook and thought, “Man, I really treasure that friendship.”
Hum it to myself… and then move on… Never letting them know I adore the times we had.
Because let’s face it. I am distracted. I am unaware.
Heaven Is The Face – Stephen Curtis Chapman
Satan is real. He is a MONSTER. He is seeking to devour us. This world hates us. The media mocks us. The neo-atheist movement despises us. He is so tangible. With this much hate directed to us, we should be desperate for each other. We should be clawing and crawling, scraping and running to get into fellowship with people who love us and understand us.
We are the Sons and Daughters of God, yet my friends, we so often walk around alone. We groan and ache and long for resolution in this world. It hit me how important that connection is this week. In our churches, our families, our lives.
I am so excited for the day that I see my good friends who have left this world. I am SO EXCITED for the day the cancer is gone. The ENEMY is GONE. I am so excited for a place where Jesus will wipe away every tear. I am so excited to catch up with good friends in heaven and laugh about the pranks and laughs. The salvation stories and the ministry times. I am so so so so excited for that time. It feels so far off. It feels so tangible and yet so distant.
I don't want to look so far ahead though that I blink and I miss it. That I miss the present.
I am so excited for the times that this earth will feel like heaven.
That we will laugh and have honest conversation, stay up late and talk about Jesus with each other, be real and throw away our masks.
Because we can have those relationships now.
