Yes, I agree that the COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide tragedy that has posed lots of risks and challenges to mankind. But, during those hard times, many came forward offering their help to each other, emphasizing on the importance of human values and bringing back the norm of living in a community.
Living in a community means that your actions will be more relational than independent. Anything you do can have an immense impact on your community. And, eventually, your community becomes a decisive part of your choices, intentions and values alignment. You will routinely make sacrifices for the benefits of the members and you will have to privilege the care of community members over your own personal gain. Different communities exist for different purposes, but what does it imply to live in a Christian community?
As Christians, it is important to remember that “if we say we live in God, we should live as Jesus did (1 John 2:6).” Our relationships in the community are not just with and for each other, but also with and for God. Beyond the activities, events and members of the commune, we need to focus on the Creator’s call to the community.
So, let’s see how we can put aside our differences and live in harmony in a Christian community!
Don’t Try to Fix Your Neighbors
For some reason I still don’t get, people just love to judge others. And, in some cases, I’ve seen it ending with an easy and nasty KO.
I don’t know if it’s because they are filled with too many insecurities of their own and are afraid of their shortcomings or because they have lots of free time, but a true Christian should not judge others’ lifestyle choices like cohabitation and living in a homosexual relationship. And, even fighting over petty things like where your neighbors park their car or how they clean their homes is not what God’s calling you for.
Remember the following verses:
From Matthew 7: 1-3:
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
From Romans 2: 1:
“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”
Do Not Give Excuses
Caring and sharing are both the essence of a Christian life and a Christian community. Every single member deserves to be cared and loved, as per the teachings of Christ. However, we should not express love merely be our words, we should also love in action. Acting in Jesus’ love is done by sharing things with others, helping them grow and learn more about God.
Yet so often, we find ourselves giving excuses just because we do not want to commit to this “act of love” or simply because we are too lazy. No matter the reason, avoid making excuses because they can lead to sin.
A simple example is when your neighbor in Christ asks you to do something and you lie by saying you’ve got an important meeting to attend. That was an excuse as well as a lie.
You decide to live in a Christian community when you’ve yearned for that connection with your brothers and sisters in Christ. If you keep giving excuses, you’ll be running away from your God’s calling and suppressing the Holy Spirit in you.
Remember Proverbs 6:4: “Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do!”
