Safe Community

This may be an oxymoron.

I think what triggered this thought process is the fact that at my mom's church chose to wash hands instead of washing feet on Maunday Thursday which is the traditional service to celebrate serving others, amongst other things. They opted to wash hands instead of feet so that no one would be left out and every one would be comfortable with what was going on. For me that's really not the point though. Those who choose to live in community with others will understand that it's not something that's supposed to be comfortable or easy. Because it's not.

Community is not something that is easy or always safe. It is hard and it's messy. There are things that are don't always work, there are fights. Not everyone is always comfortable, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't work. Community does become safe, after awhile, but only when you are willing to take chances, to push your boundaries, to love farther than you thought you could. It involves caring beyond your boundaries and knowing that there will be something to catch you if you do overextend yourself. Pushing beyond your boundaries is not a bad thing. You become more open to many other things when you do let your boundaries down a little bit. And you are so much more able to help others around you when you don't worry that how you help or serve might be seen as icky, or too personal. It is actually at those times that the community you create are the most personal and the ones that will be there to support you.

Creating community is not something that is safe or easy. You will get hurt. And sometimes the other people around you will get hurt to. But that's what life is. Life hurts. Love hurts. And sometimes it's totally worth it.