Community Matters
The budget is tight.Summer camps and activities for kids put a strain on the budget of almost any family with children. A few months ago, we had no idea that our daughter would play lacrosse, let alone have an out-of-town tournament. As we learned of a trip to Atlanta, we had to decide if I would go. Honestly, there was no need. As the least experienced member on the team, Annika wouldn’t have playing time. The team is well coached, well chaperoned, and going to safe places. Compared with some of our previous sporting locations, lacrosse is a walk in the park! Dingy hotel rooms near airports for basketball teams are now replaced with great accommodations in suburbia.I was so tempted not to go. I was tired. With gas, food, and a hotel room, it was going to be $200 for me to drive there and back. There were definitely other ways we would prefer to use that money. In the end, however, I decided to go.Why?Community. I drove twelve hours in two days for the opportunity to build community. As a freshman at a new school, Annika has done an admirable job making connections. Now it was my turn. The time, the mileage on the car, the cost, were all worth investing if I could begin to build some relationships with the moms of Annika’s teammates.If you're a mom, you know that we’ll basically do anything for our children. It was a small part that I could play towards helping our family build relationships in a new community. If I didn't make that investment of time, I’m a nameless and faceless person to every other family on that team. It's not their fault they don't know me.
On my drive, it occurred to me that we must become as committed to community for ourselves as we are for our children.
Not just any community, either, but Christian community. Every day, I see new people coming into the body of Christ. It’s absolutely the role of the body to love new members well, but it’s also important that we’re willing to invest in order for community to exist.After the first game, the team headed out to dinner. I’d had four hours of sleep the night before I’d driven to Atlanta. The introvert in me could have easily justified grabbing takeout and heading back to my hotel room. Instead, I decided to put myself out there.As I walked towards the restaurant, I prayed for divine appointments. I joined the moms for dinner and began building bridges. It will take time. Every woman that I met was delightful. Are they busy? Do they have their own lives? Do most of them have a greater level of community and less of a need for me than I do for them? Yes, but that doesn’t mean you don’t reach out and proactively seek connection.Community is a non-negotiable for health in our lives. This is true for our children and it’s true for us as adults. Even as a husband and wife, you still need community. No one can know of the needs or struggles in your life if you aren’t known by others.As a matter of fact, it was someone from my Highpoint community who encouraged me to go. That’s what friends do. They speak into your life and encourage you along the way. People can’t love you if they don’t know you.How have you seen God provide community through your investment? What struggles have you had finding community? I would love to hear… twitter | facebook