Community.

Tonight's thought:

Community.  I was just on ThoughtCatalog and one of the articles focused on why the writer did not miss church and the one reason they did.  That one reason was community.  So, I decided to unpack that word.  I've always struggled with community and I'm not sure why.  Maybe it's my introverted nature?

Dictionary.com defines community as:

a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and  perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it   exists

What do I define community as?  
-People with whom I share common interests 
-People with whom I am comfortable 
-People who I have a natural inclination to spend time with in outside environments and not in primarily structured settings
-Natural, authentic, undefined relationships 

The two definitions overlap.  I am finding that the one contrast is that my definition is that I thrive off of relationships which are organic, innate.  So many communities in which I find myself must be defined and then be organically made.  I work from the inside out.  Whereas so many other types of relationships work from the outside in.  Hm, interesting.

But, I guess a community is still a community, regardless, right?  Working from the inside out as opposed to the outside in, I still had to put in a great length of time and effort in the relationships I have built and who is to say that they are any better or more significant than relationships that are built from the outside in?  Perhaps working from the outside in, I have to do the same, but it feels like more than what I am used to because I am working from a different angle.  Maybe I should give the outside in, defined relationships more of a chance?  

After all, there's no right way.  Just different ways.  

So, then the next question is, why am I so scared of the outside in approach?  
Am I scared?
Am I impatient?
Do I not like to change my way of doing things?
Am I stubborn?
Do I not want to admit that I am wrong?  (Is it time to admit that I am wrong?)
Have I genuinely just not found a defined community approach that fits my undefined sense of relationship and community?
If I have, what is keeping me from flourishing in these define community approach contexts?  How can I change this?

Community is more puzzling for the Christian individual to figure out than one would think.  I will take it one day at a time.  I do feel comfort in knowing that I can at least be aware and open to both the defined and undefined types of community I engage in on a daily basis.