In Part 2 of this series on community, we are exploring different ways to engage with community. In this day in age finding community is difficult and maintaining it can be just as tough. One must be willing to stick it out through thick and thin (more on this in Part 3 of the series). One must be vulnerable. One must be intentional.
Much can be said about this topic, so we will have to zero in on a few things and recognize we are missing out on others.
Let’s begin with loneliness. Do you feel lonely? You’re not alone. *insert ba dum tss sound here*
But seriously, despite living in one of the most “connected” ages of human history, Gen Z reports being one of the loneliest generations on record (if you don’t believe me, just do a quick Google search). And I think many of us can attest that it isn’t just Gen Z who is feeling this way. Isolation seems a bit like a viral disease. The reasons for this are speculative and varied, but I would suggest one key contribution is simply that we do not know how to live life together anymore.
Modern technology, though wonderful, presents some pretty serious repercussions. We can live our lives completely alone. We can sit in front of our screen in our homes while we work, buy groceries (and anything else we can imagine), be entertained, and “socialize.” But if that’s all we do, it’s not really living. It’s almost like playing a video game –real, but not really real.
Before I get too far into the weeds, let me turn our focus to some potential solutions for engaging with and maintaining community:
- Don’t live your entire life online. If your work is primarily you sitting in front of a computer/screen, make sure another area of your life involves face-to-face, real-life interaction with other people. If you spend most of your free time on a screen, consider a once-a-week reprieve. Go out and do something different, again, with other people.
- Get outside with other people. Nature is incredibly powerful –indeed, God created it this way. It is healing, inspiring, and perspective-shaping. If you can spend more time outside with other people–or even just around other people–you likely won’t feel as lonely.
- Help other people. You have people in your life who need encouragement, a listening ear, an extra hand packing for a move, a meal, a kind text, a hug, etc. Taking the time to things like this, small or big, will not only be a blessing to the person receiving it, but will lift you up and remind you that other people exist. And who knows, those people may return the favor right back to you.
- Be vulnerable. Open up, talk about yourself and what you’re going through, ask for help. You don’t have to completely surrender yourself but be willing to show the inside –just a little bit. You might be surprised at the connection this can create with other people.
- Go to church. I know… sometimes this is hard, painful, or boring. But it is essential. You cannot live the Christian life on your own. You cannot have koinonia online (not fully). Going to church provides you with the opportunity to love, be loved, challenge, be challenged, learn, and re-focus on a greater hope.
Colossians 2:2-3
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
These things in no way answer every question or consideration regarding community. They are simply meant to be a start on the road to deeper, better community. We were never meant to live our lives alone. Seek community, seek fellowship. The reward will be well worth the effort.
-Kenzie
*This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on community. Part 1 is titled: Why You Need Other People. Stay tuned for part 3, coming August of 2024.
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