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“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Romans 12:15 (NIV)

One weekend the neighbors who lived underneath my apartment unit, a single mom and her two-year-old boy, moved out. That lady seldom had anyone over for visits, but when she moved out, I saw several cars and people of different age groups going in and out of her apartment moving furniture, boxes and other items. When all of her things had been moved out, some of those people returned. They spent a few hours cleaning and painting, so that her place would be ready for inspection and she could get her deposit back. “What a great sense of community!” I thought.

Community, nonetheless, is more than just people helping other people carry boxes when they move out. Community, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a “unified body of individuals,” which could mean people with same cultural traditions, tastes, religious beliefs, etc. I like to think of community as common unity. It is that feeling that enables us to feel the joy that someone else feels or suffer her pain just as she goes through it. It is offering our shoulder to someone who is going through a life storm, or cheering for someone who is about to get married, graduate, or run a race.

In a community, when someone sees a need, he or she will jump in and meet that need somehow. If people need prayer, others will join in and pray. If they need food, food will be prepared for them. If they need encouragement, people will gather around and encourage them, and so forth. We see this happening in times when catastrophic events happen, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and wild fires, as people gather together to help others in need. They will raise money for supplies, offer shelter, clothing and other needed items.

The Bible instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, to encourage one another and to edify, or build each other up. What a wonderful reminder that we, as children of God, must pull together for one another when the need arises, building up and encouraging, just as the Lord Jesus Himself modeled for us.

“Lord, as Your children, we pray we can lift up our neighbor as You often do us.”

For His Glory

Luska Natali
TRBC Women’s Life