The Importance of Community

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

-Genesis 2:18

This verse in Genesis is so often read through the lens of partnership, particularly, romantic partnership that leads to marriage. However, I think the truth of this verse can also apply to the importance of community.

In this chapter of Genesis, God has recently created Adam and is getting him set up in the garden of Eden. He has already given Adam vocation (vs. 15), spiritual instruction (vs. 16), but he still does not have a companion. He is alone in the garden, in a beautiful place of paradise, but he still does not have anyone around him, and work is cold company.

Sound familiar?

Many times, in American society especially, we convince ourselves that we do not need other people and can do things alone. Genesis 2 reminds us that God has given us a direct command about the importance of not going it alone. We receive another reminder in Ecclesiastes ch. 4: 9-12:

“Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

None of us are meant to do life alone. When we fall (and we will), we need people around us to help us get back up. The time to go to the doctor isn’t when things have progressed to the point of taking us to the emergency room. We can schedule preventive care and go to the doctor in order to feel better. Similarly, the best time to look for community is not when we are already in the midst of the storm; it is before a storm has hit. We can shore up our strength and provide for others who are in immediate need of support.

Community, the process of building and maintaining it, is one of the biggest life pursuits we will ever conduct. We all need people to keep going. None of us were meant to be able to handle life alone. Genesis is a reminder of the importance of interpersonal relationship, and that God put humans in relationship with each other by design from the very beginning.

How are you seeking to build community in your life? Pray for God to bring people to your life with whom you can foster authentic, supportive relationships.