There are a lot of reasons community is important to vibrant living. A lot. We are a corporate people, made for relationships, for participation, for belonging. One of the most beautiful aspects of corporate living is the ability for the group to pursue truth together.

Each of us sees life from a specific angle. Like a ray of sunshine kissing the Earth. The degree at which we strike the surface of reality depends on the upbringing, experiences, and relationships that are unique to each of us.

Perception is the lens through which we view truth. All of us are looking at the same world, but the filters of our distinct lives create a prism of perspectives that see the truths of the world in different ways.

The value of community is we can measure these perspectives against one another. When we are exposed to a variety of these angles striking the Earth, we open ourselves up to a fuller version of the truth. Community invites us to see blind spots, discuss contradictions, and provide feedback.

In spite of what most of us imagine, we do not have to do this journey alone. The differences among us are too often cause for consternation and disgust. When we can accept each person’s perspective as valuable, just as valued as our own, we allow ourselves the opportunity to be exposed to the unique angle through which they’ve seen and experienced the truth. Only in doing so are we capable of perceiving a truer perspective ourselves.

The truth is too big for any one of us. We need one another.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
– Hebrews 10:24-25