My Thoughts

I've been thinking lately about community. I grew up in New England where the norm is to live your life separately from those around you. Now as a new "southener" I feel like I am more able to be the social person I was created to be. I've always felt that whomever has been placed into my tiny sphere of this earth is someone that God wants me to reach out to. As a result of that philosophy I have made semi-friendships with people that I normally would not be comfortable with. And although I realize that there needs to be a separation of God's children so that we do not become like the world, I fully envelop the idea that we are in the world to reach out to it.

This morning in church the message was about letting the holy spirit enable you to reach out -- to befriend the "gentiles" as the preacher put it - to allow ourselves to be stretched out of our small group of comfortable friendships and actually allow God to penetrate beyond. I've been really disturbed by this separation that we have created. It seems that so often the people who do not profess to be religious are so much more friendly and fun to be around than those of us who say we are Christians. We have become competitive and critical within our little group to the point that when an outsider looks at us, they truly think that our exclusivity is undesirable. Isn't the entire point of our life on earth to guide those around us to this wonderful thing that we have? Or is it some country club where only the elite belong and occasionally we allow a stranger or two in if they don't disrupt our comfortable vibe?

And though I need to work on being more assertive, to protect my family and to say "no" when appropriate, I refuse to embrace my upbringing to be hermit-like. I truly want to make a difference in this world and I believe I do not need to travel half-way across the world to do it. Sometimes it takes watching someone's children when it's inconvenient, bringing cookies to the grumpy always-miserable neighbors (which I have been inspired to do), and smiling to create a friendly environment no matter where I am. Call me an idealist, but I'm still under the impression that people can change.