Technology is amazing and in some ways we are the most connected generation ever, but we are also the loneliest generation ever. While there is no doubt that social media and increased use of technology have improved some forms of social connectedness among Americans, it has also contributed to greater loneliness. According to a recent Gallup poll, half of U.S. adults report feeling lonely, with those aged 15-29 feeling the most lonely among survey participants.
Technology has made our life easier and more efficient in many ways but it also has made it easier to choose convenience over community. We can now do almost anything with a few taps on a phone or computer. I’ll be the first to say that I love grocery shopping from the comfort of my couch. I can order just the items I need and drive up 2 hours later and have someone load the items into my car. It’s glorious!! Not only do I not have to spend an hour wandering a store, I tend to spend far less. And as someone who primarily works from home and does most of my work from the phone or computer, technology has opened new doors for productivity and work. I love that I can meet someone across the U.S. over Zoom or I can stay connected to friends’ lives through social media.
I’m definitely not opposed to technology, social media or the digital world, but we need to be careful that the technology is serving us, not the other way around. When it begins to erode our relationships or our desire to leave the house or our car, it is no longer be helping us but rather hindering us. We must be intentional or these new tendencies can end up keeping us from the life in community that God wants for us.
Throughout the pandemic, online church made it possible to worship together, even though we were apart. But at some point it became easier to just stay home. We didn’t have to get out of our pjs or go anywhere. Working from home became the new norm, which can be great, but we also don’t have the same opportunities to interact meaningfully with others. The drive-up pick up became a thing everywhere and we had even more reasons to never talk to anyone or ever get out of our car. Are you seeing a trend here? 🙂
The digital world can make it easier to escape into our own little world or tune-out the world around us. Our online world allows us to customize life to our liking and choosing, we can just “do our own thing” and to be honest, it can be so much easier than dealing with others. Relationships can be hard and socializing even harder, especially if you are an introvert. And while there are people we look forward to seeing and spending time with, there are also relationships in our lives that require a little more of our energy and patience.
The problem with some of the new habits we may have acquired as more and more of life can be done online, is that they tend to only further isolate us and keep us from community. You see, community was created by God and for our good. We were always made for community–its God’s plan all along. It is through community that we best see Christ’s love displayed. As we do life together, we get to experience the abundant life Christ wants for us.
Being in community helps us be our best selves because it requires us to give of ourselves, to think outside of our own mind and opinions, to serve others, to experience love and joy, forgiveness and kindness.
Even God lives in community as the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). God’s plan for us has always been to live out our lives and faith in community.
Hebrews 10:24–25 says:
“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.”
I know sometimes when we hear this Scripture we can focus on the middle part and hear it in a guilt laden kind of way. Instead, as we look at the context, we see that this Scripture is reminding us what community is for: to spur one another on, to show Christ’s love, to serve one another as Christ would. The church is the body of Christ to the world.
I believe the author of Hebrews is warning them that it can be easy to focus in our own stuff, especially in the world we live in today where it is super easy to keep to ourselves. But the author of Hebrews goes on to remind them just how important it is to stay in community because that is where the abundant life is. He wants them to remember that we need each other. When we are isolated and on our own too long, self-doubt and false narratives begin to fill our heads. It is when we come together in community that we are reminded of God’s truth and find encouragement to keep going when we want to give up.
Being in God’s community helps us remember not only who God is, but who we are in Him. It is in the community of believers that we see a fuller, more comprehensive picture of God Himself. As the body of Christ, together we reflect God’s character of love and hope to a lost and lonely world.
We’re our best selves when we’re experiencing life’s highs and lows with others. Being in community gives us the chance to be around people at different stages of their faith journey—and to bear their burdens alongside them (Galatians 6:2). That’s awesome because everyone has something to teach and to learn.
Community helps form our character and gives us the opportunity to reflect Christ, offering and receiving love and forgiveness from one another. It smooths out our rough edges and refines our hearts in ways that self-reflection in solitude cannot.
We need to be intentional about interrupting potentially unhealthy habits that keep us isolated and distracted, so we can lean into the thriving life God invites us into through community.
The best first step is to begin with prayer. Praying for a willing heart, saying “Lord help me to want to be willing, even if I’m not right now”. Praying for God to open your eyes to the need for community, and give you a fresh appreciation for His people. Asking God to open your eyes to the things that may be holding you back and help make your thoughts and actions obedient to Christ.
As we intentionally choose community, we will begin to be blessed in ways we have forgotten or had never experienced. Not sure how to get started? Just, keep leaning into God and His direction in your life, and He will lead you to where you are supposed to be–straight into His abundant life for you.
This may look different for different situations (especially if there are special unique situations you are facing), but we all can find ways to connect to the outside world. It’s ok not to jump into it all at once. Just take the one small step that you feel God is calling you to in your life. Maybe it is to call that friend and get together for coffee, or it is to try out that new church, or go back to church, or maybe it is inviting family over for dinner. It could even be as simple as bringing a neighbor some flowers.
Take some time this week to pray about how God might bring you one step deeper into a life of community. There is so much blessing found only in a life lived together!
