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While it was not intentional, it is appropriate that the element of discipline, or habitual activity, should follow the blog on the organic nature of community. I say this because, for most of us, structured consistency and vitality are antithetical concepts. Think about it. If I were to describe a friend's prayer life as habitual, would you think I was paying him a compliment or accusing him of legalism? Our problem is that we often confuse spontaneity with sincerity and structure with oppression. However, it is extremely naïve to think that communities just spring up out of the ground
of good intentions. We must learn to embrace the paradox that the spontaneity of life is actually promoted and preserved through structure.
I was reminded of this last week. Occupied with my studies, I had forgotten my habitual Tuesday visit to the grocery store. When dinner time rolled around that evening and I was staring into a fairly empty fridge, I felt the fallout of my omission. Dinner that night was eggs and rice. It looked as bland as it sounds. The next day I repeated the error and forgot to go to the grocery store, and, once again, we ate eggs and rice. Sadly, my absent-mindedness continued another couple days, and we continued living off of the same staple. At one point, I tried bathing the elements in barbecue sauce, but that accomplished little for in the end, it was still just eggs and rice. Those tasteless and fairly monochromatic meals etched in my mind the direct relationship between my preparedness and the potential for creativity.
Applying this principle to the house, we have found (through trial and error) that we grow best together when we submit to an agreed upon structure. This structure involves house meetings, prayer times, chores, community service and planned leisure. Outsiders may consider this type of approach too regimented. We discovered, however, that when we just wait for spontaneous and emotive expressions of community, we end up missing each other.
Community has vitality. It is born out of commitment. It breathes through mission. It is nurtured through disciplines. It grows through service. It rests through celebration. It is alive. More than that, it imparts life. It is this characteristic of livelihood that distinguishes a community from a mob. The best manner I know to illustrate this point is through a story I posted earlier on this blog. It goes like this.
It’s 7:30 on a Saturday evening a few years back, and I’m driving 12 kids home after a visit to the mall. We travel 10 minutes down a narrow dirt road, bordered by trees to the left and a drainage ditch to the right. We drop two kids off at their aunt’s house and are looking to head back. I try a three point turnaround, but only make it to point number two. The VW van is a lot longer than my VW Gol, and I’ve backed us into the drainage ditch. The front two tires are about two feet in the air. Some of the kids scream in panic; others in delight. We get the kids out safely, and the neighbors begin to congregate around the van. I don’t even try to explain. There are certain acts of stupidity where you lose your right to excuses. But instead of just standing around and taking cheap shots at the gringo, the locals get right to work. The men start pushing on the back of the van, while the women put rocks under the rear tires to generate traction. Two guys put on their knee-high rubber boots so that they can get down into the mirky water and push more effectively. They refused to let me do the same, concerned that I would get my clothes dirty. Meanwhile, more people are streaming in from the community to help, as some of the older women have got the story in circulation. Six strategies and thirty minutes later, the van surges from the ditch, amidst a shower of rocks, mud and applause. Embraces are exchanged, and I’m invited to visit more often - under different circumstances. The crowd still lingers in my rear view mirror as I consider what it is like to live among people who need each other.
This is what I'm referring to when I cite the organic element of community. Mission, strategies, service and celebration assume a certain livelihood that is, in turn, imparted to others.
