Community is a Neciessity
There is something about being quarantined that makes me notice the needs I have in life. I need people. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to come home to my parents house and live with them over these past 5-ish months. I wasn't excited to start but felt like the heart behind Malachi 4:6 where “the hearts of the children turn to their parents” was true of what the Lord would be doing for me and my family.
(If you are checking scripture: I didn’t think that the Lord was going to strike my land with total destruction like he had shared with the prophet Elijah but turning in still had importance for this season.)
If you know me, I am a coffee date kind-of-girl. I am all about sitting down to chat and hear life stories of those living around me. I feel taking genuine time to listen to the people in my live is a way I love them. During my undergraduate, I would be known for having 3 or 4 coffee dates a week or even two in a day. My go-to was GreyHouse Coffee Co. If you are ever in West Lafayette, IN please go check them out—it’s like a little heaven on earth. People are mixing and mingling and in the evenings there are always the cutest first dates happening. If you can’t tell, I am also a big people watcher.
My routine of class, GreyHouse, activity have come to a stop and likely if you also experienced COVID-19 2020 your routines stopped as well. This adjustment has been eye opening for the world’s need for community. Churches online communities have sky rocketed, Facetime Gatherings have increased, more people are at national and state parks than ever and the irritation with separation not yet over is starting to grumble. I was sitting with a mentor and she mentioned that when she dropped her son off for a play date, the other child’s parent shared the obstacles her only child had been facing with mental health since being isolated for so long.
My heart broke. I have struggled and yet, I also have the opportunities to connect with my parents and my two brothers. I also have many friends willing to do FaceTimes, Zoom calls, WebEx meetings and sit in a park 6 feet away from each other. I feel so fortunate. I have a privilege in being 22 years old and able to control my own environment. However, it doesn’t change the need I have for community.
These stories and personal experiences aren’t the only stories. Each of us have different tolerances and levels of comfort being alone and separate from the world: nevertheless, it doesn’t make the interactions with others less meaningful. I am going to spend a little extra time this week praying for kids and parents who have certain constraints on their ability to find community. Think about all the people who don’t get wifi at home. I promise there are more people without wifi than you think. I am also going to continue to send letters. I have no idea what barriers people have been facing but I have the opportunity to make a difference.
What are you going to do?
