One definition of a community is, " A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals." I believe that no matter where you are in the world, you need community and here is why.
I don't know about you but when I am around like minded individuals that are uplifting and encouraging, I tend to be more uplifting and encouraging. The unfortunate part is this same concept can work inversely as well. We have all had the talk from our parents or a parental figure where they say "Choose your friends wisely" or "You can tell who a person is based on who they are friends with" now I don't think the second one is ALWAYS true but you get the idea. We as humans are ALL, and yes I said ALL, leaders, wanna know why? Because a leader is anyone who has an influence, either positive or negative upon another person. I don't care who you are, you are influencing others and you are still being influenced by others around you. This means that if you choose to surround yourself with positive influences, than you are being led in a positive direction and vice versa. There is a reason that in the past one of the main forms of public discipline was exile, a positive or negative influence is a powerful thing.
I am 22 years old and about to graduate from college, do you want to know what the best decision of my college career was? Getting into the community surrounding my college, the moms and dads, the businessmen and women, the pastors and the atheists. Sometimes we can view life as a "marathon" that is being run by all individuals, and I don't agree with that view. I am running this marathon of life on a team, where sometimes I just can't do it and guess what? Someone is right behind me to help me until I am strong enough to run again. Isn't that so much better than the idea of running alone? I am afraid that we are all turning into these me me me machines. We walk to and fro wherever we are going with headphones in so that we don't have to make conversation with strangers. We put headphones in at the gym so we don't have to talk to anyone while we do our thing. And I think the most dangerous of them all is when we have struggles and burdens but yet we don't tell anyone because we are afraid to seem weak and vulnerable. Guess what? I have been all three of those scenarios, until I realized I couldn't do it alone. I need that stranger on the side walk to say hey have a good day, I need a Joey Sandvig or a Denver Fontaine to encourage me to pick up the barbell when I feel weak. I need a Ryan Smith or my girlfriend to talk to me when I feel like the weight of the world is crashing down on me. And you know what's even cooler? They're not the only ones that offer all of those things to me. When you immerse yourself into a community, you have a family. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken." You see, we don't have to take this world on alone! There are always others around you that want to have you as a part of their community or to even make a community with them , and all you have to do is look for it and just live life with them. I cannot encourage you enough that wherever you are and you feel alone and beat up, to get up and find a community, and I say "find" because most of the time it is not coming to you. I mean community is going to cost you financially or it will cost time and you know it will probably even cost both at the same time but it is worth the fight. Relationships are always worth your time and so are you!
We are on this earth for Community, we were literally created for it, God Himself said that, "It is not good for man to be alone." Seek that community for yourself, be that community to others, and watch as your life transforms from a single manned struggle to a team event victory.
