living in community.

Living in community

  I intend to live well in community by “…taking heed and keeping watch on myself according to God’s Love, conforming my life to God’s Love”.  (Psalm 119: 9)

This is one prayer for living in community:   “I am God’s servant; give me understanding that I may be familiar with the character of Your Love”  (Psalm 119:125)

Rachel Naomi Remen:  “ Service is an experience of mystery, surrender, and awe.  A server knows that she is being used and has a willingness to be used in the service of something greater, something essentially unknown.  Fixing and helping are very particular and specific.  We fix and help many different things in our lifetimes, but when we serve we are always serving the same thing.  Everyone who has ever served through the history of time serves the same thing.  We are servers of the wholeness and mystery in life.”

That is how I want to live every day of my life.  A long time ago I noticed that it felt uncomfortable to say to my partner, “thanks for doing the dishes” or “thanks for filling the wood box”.  It felt off, like he had performed those tasks for me.  It implied some sort of hierarchy.  Yet I wanted to express appreciation, because that always feels good.  So I started saying “I appreciate that the dishes are done” and “ I appreciate that the wood box is full for the night”.  Yes.  That feels different and I have peace about that.  

     As I eagerly await visiting an intentional community with the intention of joining, it has been inspiring to imagine and fantasize about life there.  Having my heart in the right place, having my heart in Love, is the only way to live in community, to encounter all those new humans.  Really it is the only way to live every day, regardless of where I am or who I am with.  That is the beauty of trying something new, before it even physically manifests it begins to influence my life and inspire more Love and understanding, new expansion of ideas.