When I think of community and I look at the word, I see two parts to it. The first part is comm, which represents communication. Communication is the first part of that word because it’s important to build community, and with communication comes sharing ideas, values, and commonalities.
Communication is a two-way street where it takes two people interacting with one another, sharing and exchanging information that will be used to distinguish whether or not these two people will be able to build a relationship rooted in loyalty, integrity, and trust.
Once the exchange starts to take place, there’s this physical, emotional, as well as spiritual dance that begins to form, creating the cadence of how people talk to each other and the amount of information being shared. As trust builds, it allows individuals to become part of each other’s lives and to learn things that many others may not know.
In the process of this communication, something begins to happen. There’s this thing called togetherness, or unity. A sense of unity starts to build between these two people. Then, over time, others are brought into this circle, this space of trust, integrity, and unity, which in turn begins to create and build community.
Within this community, people are invited in, those who share common ideas, values, and goals: to build together, learn together, grow together, and thrive together, and in some cases, even walk through life’s hardest moments together.
These two words come together to form something powerful. It’s important that communication is honest, and that we are able to have difficult conversations during trying times as we continue learning one another. In doing so, we maintain unity within community, understanding when to allow people in and when not to.
Community is a beautiful thing because it brings people from different walks of life into a group built through the intricate weaving of shared growth and unity. Through this, partnerships, companionship, and family are formed.
In community, there are moments when you are surrounded by people who help carry you through heavy, struggling, and tiring seasons, when life happens and painful experiences take place. It is within community that people move through moments of weakness, agony, and even defeat.
The strength of those who stand beside you, those who encourage you, build you up, and witness your growth, can carry you into places you may not have believed you could reach. It is in community that life-changing moments happen, and to have that kind of support is priceless.
So when we think of community, we think of communication. We think of unity. We think of togetherness.
The next time you see someone standing on the outside looking in, wishing they were a part of that, remember, it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a community to build one another in times of need.