I can’t tell you how many conversations I have where the people I’m conversing with tell me how important community is to them.
The longer and deeper we talk, the further I discover these same people to be lonely and discouraged because they don’t get to hang out with their friends as much as they want to…. or they don’t experience community as often as they would like…. or they haven’t been invited out in what feels like forever…. or they can’t actually name who their closest and safest people are.
So let’s take a few minutes to confront a hard truth.
Community is important and necessary, but it’s only truly important if you make it truly necessary.
Which means, something has to give.
If you are too busy to have meaningful friendships, the other people in your friendships aren’t the ones to blame. You are. You are too busy.
If you say community is important to you but your actions indicate otherwise, then your actions are speaking louder than your words. Community is not important to you no matter how much you say it is.
If you can’t name one good friend who can help you through the day-to-day challenges of life, that onus is not on others. That’s on you. Own it and move forward.
- Are you being intentional about building meaningful relationships?
- Are you really prepared to go deep with people?
- Are you willing and available to sacrifice your time, energy and schedule to create valuable friendships?
- Are you asking questions to get to know other people, or are you only expecting people to talk about your life?
- Are you hosting and planning and doing the inviting?
“None of us is too busy for the things that we regard as priorities. We are only too busy for those things that have a low order of importance in our daily schedules. We may live by the clock, but more importantly we live by our priorities. When friendship is a low priority, we have no time for our friends.” –James M. Houston
So, all that to say, today is a great day to….
Be the person you wish other people would be for you.
If you want community, build it. Initiate.
If you desire beautiful friendships, be a beautiful friend.
If you value meaningful relationships, then add value and meaning to the relationships you currently have.
Community is important and necessary, but it’s only truly important if you make it truly necessary. So be the person you wish other people would be for you.
“Love others as you love yourself.” -Galatians 5:14 (MSG)
