We Need Each Other: 4 Ways to Build the Community We All Need

Laura Nelson offers four strategies for building community, so we can stop thinking we have to do everything on our own.

Moms do it all. We nurture life both inside and outside our bodies. We organize, teach, guide, comfort, nurse, remind, and advise our spouses, children, friends, siblings, even our aging parents. Sometimes we forget that we’re not supposed to be able to do everything on our own.  

One day I was lamenting the fact that the advice I was given, while good and exactly what I needed to hear in that moment, was the same advice I give to others on a regular basis. “Why can’t I remember this advice when I need to hear it? Why can’t I give myself my own advice?” I cried out in frustration. The answer? “Because we need each other! We’re made for community. We’re not made to live on our own.”  

Those words struck me deeply. At some point, I had decided that I needed to be independent and self-sufficient. I subconsciously decided that it was ok for me to help others but that I shouldn’t need help myself. I don’t know where this idea came from. But, for whatever reason, it took root in my heart.  

I don’t think I’m alone in believing this insidious lie though. I think you might believe it too. So, it’s time to recognize this lie for what it is and start behaving like we know what is true: We need each other.  

Here are a few ways to live your life like community is important (because it IS!): 

Share your life (both good and bad) with friends and family.

Sometimes we think that people only want to hear our good news and that sharing the bad with them is a burden to them. That’s not true! Sharing both the good and the bad is an invitation into your life. By sharing the good, it’s amplified. And, when we share the bad, it’s diminished. 

Seek advice and help from others.

No one (other than God) has all the answers. We’re not meant to be experts in everything. God places others in our lives to help us navigate the journey home to heaven. Ask others for their thoughts when you’re at a crossroads. Ask them for help when you realize you can’t do it all yourself. 

Ask others to pray for you and pray for others (even when they don’t ask for it).

Sometimes we forget that prayer is powerful and that it makes a difference. Praying sometimes seems like a passive way to give or receive help but it’s not. Ask for the prayers of those in your community and offer prayers for them.  

Make time for leisure with friends.

Often, we build community in times of crisis but, when the crisis is over, we fail to nurture that community to keep it going. Schedule a walk or a cup of coffee with a friend just to be together or do something new together. You’ll grow closer and will benefit from the rest that hanging out with a friend can give you both. 
 

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How do you build community to remind yourself that you don’t have to do it all alone?  #CatholicMom

Obviously, there are lots of ways to build community. These are only a few. How do you build community to remind yourself that you don’t have to do it all alone? 

Copyright 2023 Laura Nelson
Images: Canva