Community

Along with this sacred echo of “if you don’t have a place to belong, make one” I have been hearing about the beautiful necessity of community for many years. At times I have been forced into community and at other times I have joyfully entered in; mostly I have wandered in quietly and sat as far away as possible.

If I tell you I am a loner, you might peer curiously at me and wonder if I was making it up. Dear Friend, you can be around a lot of people and still be completely alone and on your own. In fact, sometimes I look around a room and wonder who else is in the same spot as me? How many of these people long for true, abiding connection and do not have it? How many of them do not even know it’s a thing?

God very graciously, over-the-top blessed me with some new friends. They are thoughtful, gentle, kind, compassionate, and a little weird. They are smart, witty, funny, and productive (in the sense they practice their crafts actively, not just talk about doing it). I could never have dreamed of calling these people friends, yet by an act of God, I am sure, they like me. You may ask why I give God credit for these friends, it’s a fair question. I guess you’d have to know me better to understand, but here is what I figure: I am weird, awkward, tire easily, disappear sometimes, have wild ideas, and have a lot of trauma to work through.

In short, I’m not exactly a friend magnet.

But these friends were right there where I could not miss them and they accepted me. When I spend time with them, I am refreshed and revitalized, not drained. They are not what I deserve, they are gifts from God.

If you are lonely or separated from others, ask God to give you friends and a community to be a part of.

Self Portrait of the Artist

To be fair, I really respect possums and hope they are not offended by the comparison.