Living Life Down a Little Gravel Road

In my last post I mentioned that my mom, sisters, their families and mine, live down the same little gravel road. Yesterday my friend Jennifer responded to that post and sent an email to a small group of friends that said,
“I feel that way about you all - you know - friends are the family you choose for yourself”

My response, “But unfortunately, WE don't get to live all together on a private gravel road.... and that makes me sad.”

Jennifer: “Maybe someday we will all live together down a little gravel road in Florida near the beach and Cardinals' spring training camp!”

We all started thinking about living down a little gravel road together and decided that in the evenings we would sit on the front porch, drink ice tea and discuss the meaning of life, or maybe laugh and be silly and generally WOW ourselves with our fabulosity (see blog The Sparkly Countenance of a Girlfriend.) At any rate, what ever we talk about would be in person not via the internet like now.

If you read my last post you know that even though my family and I live close, we don’t often get to visit on each others’ front porches. We all stay busy and have to leave our little compound for work, church, shopping, errands, school and other activities. We can’t live our entire lives down the gravel road…..

Or can we?

Speaking metaphorically “living life down the gravel road” can signify living in community - or common unity. In that case I CAN live my entire life down the gravel road.

We are not meant to live in isolation.

Genesis 2:18 And the Lord Said “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

And thus, community was born of Adam’s rib.

All the way back to the Garden of Eden encouragement was an essential component to living in community, although I’m not too sure God was pleased that Eve encouraged Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge. And later, Moses provided continual encouragement to the Israelites for forty years as they wandered in the wilderness.

In Hebrews we are also instructed to “encourage one another.” It is a give-and-take commodity. As Bill Withers sang:

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on.

Sometimes I am the lean-er; needing the support and encouragement of others in my communities. At other times I am the lean-ee, holding up others and cheering them on.

I am thankful to have communities that encourage and hold me up. I can remember a time when I was alone and lonely and that makes the fellowship I enjoy now all that much sweeter.

Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.