I also share your hope. In my own way, I have tried to talk about the need for real, lived communities. The word community has been so debased to mean some odd sociological category of people who may or may not have ever met or know of each other's existence. It is a hard sell, even to those who are aware of where things are headed. Even forming little pods of 10-12 people and sharing with one another and mutual care and support seem to fall on deaf ears.
Maybe things are going to have to get worse first. We are still too comfortable in the "first world". We are addicted to that comfort. It reminds me of a line from The Unintended Reformation, by Brad S. Gregory. It was something like: we hear that you can't serve God and Mammon, but in America, we say, "I don't know, I think we can!"
Well, I think we are going to find out what that confusion means. Lord give us the strength to bear the cost of making the right choice. Lord, lead me into the desert.
Mutual care and support is a hard sell for sure. We don’t even do it for our own families. Even our churches fail at this. I think we have to learn how to do that again.
I don’t know how to change it culturally but I can as one person be more caring through acts of service to my family, church members, neighbors. It takes time and a willingness to get to know others. If you don’t know them it is impossible to know their need. I still bring a gift to new neighbors and make an effort to reach out, not always received though. People are so very busy. I think the machine is very good at keeping us so busy that we have no time for each other. We, I need to do better.
Those final two lines are a perfect summation for so many people's lives nowadays. So busy chasing around frantically trying to pay the bills there is little time for anything else.
As you say Suzanne, all we can do is endeavour to set a good example and hope that the love spreads.
I also share your hope. In my own way, I have tried to talk about the need for real, lived communities. The word community has been so debased to mean some odd sociological category of people who may or may not have ever met or know of each other's existence. It is a hard sell, even to those who are aware of where things are headed. Even forming little pods of 10-12 people and sharing with one another and mutual care and support seem to fall on deaf ears.
Maybe things are going to have to get worse first. We are still too comfortable in the "first world". We are addicted to that comfort. It reminds me of a line from The Unintended Reformation, by Brad S. Gregory. It was something like: we hear that you can't serve God and Mammon, but in America, we say, "I don't know, I think we can!"
Well, I think we are going to find out what that confusion means. Lord give us the strength to bear the cost of making the right choice. Lord, lead me into the desert.
Mutual care and support is a hard sell for sure. We don’t even do it for our own families. Even our churches fail at this. I think we have to learn how to do that again.
I couldn't agree more. This ability to live shared lives in love has generally atrophied. We need each other. How does this change?
I don’t know how to change it culturally but I can as one person be more caring through acts of service to my family, church members, neighbors. It takes time and a willingness to get to know others. If you don’t know them it is impossible to know their need. I still bring a gift to new neighbors and make an effort to reach out, not always received though. People are so very busy. I think the machine is very good at keeping us so busy that we have no time for each other. We, I need to do better.
Those final two lines are a perfect summation for so many people's lives nowadays. So busy chasing around frantically trying to pay the bills there is little time for anything else.
As you say Suzanne, all we can do is endeavour to set a good example and hope that the love spreads.