When I was in youth ministry, one of the niches I found was working with the kids that had a hard time fitting in. If you were ever a young person then I’m sure you know that, at times, kids can be brutally inconsiderate. Someone new came along that looked different, or acted different, or didn’t know the arbitrary rules your group had set up for inclusion and they got pushed away. That’s where I would step in and introduce them to some kinder kids or for the real outliers just be the listening ear they desperately needed.
Looking back with the eyes and experience of an adult it’s easy to forgive children acting this way because their brains are still (hopefully) developing empathy. However, for some this attitude hangs on. It is all too easy to find a routine we like and put everyone into neat little boxes to categorize our life. Anything that could cause even the most minor disturbance to one of these boxes is an abomination.
If you consider yourself a follower of Christ then Jesus made it pretty clear for us in Matthew 28:18-20 when he said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
“Go and make disciples of all nations,” one translation says everyone you meet. If you have been given the life changing gift of the gospel of Jesus, you should be excited to bring people along with you on the journey. And it’s hard, it’s hard to be loving to new people. What if they’re weird? What if they ask me a question and I don’t know the answer? What if we didn’t go to high school together?
There are people looking in on what you have and wondering how they could have something similar. Be it your marriage, or your job, or your community. And while you may not be able to help someone find a spouse or a job, you can let them be a part of your community. Even if you need to adjust or get used to a new normal, you know what Christ has called you to do. We have been called to show the love of Christ to everyone.
How do YOU increase community?