Marriage & Family Life: Be a little more vulnerable

by Adam Storey | August 16, 2018

I’ve noticed in the Church that we spend a lot of time talking about building community.

We reflect on ways to bring new people in and to help others get involved. That’s a great good, and I’m encouraged to hear these conversations!

I’ve also noticed that in our culture we spend a lot of time finding ways to be independent. We passionately avoid relying on each other. Whether it’s self-checkout, online banking, or road-side assistance technology, we’re developing more and more ways to avoid each other.

In my mind, these two impulses are at odds with one another.

I think more than anything, authentic community is based on need. We need each other, and it’s only when we recognize and embrace this need that we form the bonds that make communities meaningful. I can think of no better place to learn this than the family. Children need their parents completely and totally, spouses need each other in all sorts of ways, and parents need not only their kids, but a whole network of extended family to rely on as they navigate raising children.

And while our society tells us that we should work to become more independent of these needs, the Gospel tells us we must become more needy (Matt 18:3-4)!

So, I believe that as a Church we must be committed to building community, but the only way to do so is to work hard at become more vulnerable, which is simply putting ourselves in a position of need.

We need to be needy! And thank the Lord, he has shown us how in the family.

This month, I hope you’ll join me in trying to be a little more vulnerable, a little more open to others and, hopefully, a little more rooted in our communities!