Pleasing Others In Community

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:

That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

                                                                (Rom 15:1-7 KJV)

Again or still, I have been thinking about community as most of the country has been mandated to avoid community. In a very real sense, keeping our distance can be for the good of and to please our neighbors. However, we will have a difficult time helping the individual in need if we never see them. There are many social organizations that we can assist in helping others by making donations online. Sadly, some of these organizations have closed their offices due to the mandates. Church offices come to my mind.

We cannot please everyone all of the time. But, in order to please or help them in any way, we usually need to have contact with them. We need to be in community with them. Jesus calls us to feed his sheep. Social media is fine for feeding others the word; but, other then making donations to large agencies who will use a large percentage of our donations for operating costs rather than directly feeding and sheltering those in need, social media isn't all that helpful when it comes to taking care of physical needs.

In order to know what people may need we need to be in community, in communication, with them. Long distance, remote communication really does not do the trick. It is difficult to receive someone as St. Paul exhorts us to do when we can't actually be with one another.

I have joked about being a hermit more than once. I really do appreciate my quiet times with God! But, I also appreciate and give thanks to God for having had so many opportunities over the years to please others by helping them in person when they needed someone who was near and not far away; when they needed someone to feed them whether it was spiritually or physically.

Let us all give thanks that many of the social distancing guidelines are being relaxed and we can get on with living in community to the glory of our ever-loving God our Father.

God's Peace - Pr. J.