But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind--
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
John 17: 20-21 (The Message)
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Vertical Relationships Must be Maintained
"One of our most pressing challenges is to find an inner peace that is not an escape from reality, but is based on doing the will of God. The other is the search for human community. Nouwen reminds us that "we are always in search of a community that can offer us a sense of belonging."
These two searches are closely intertwined, but they are not the same and should never become confused. Our attempts to create the human community should not become a substitute for maintaining our own spiritual journey. We cannot afford to find the group but lose ourselves. Moreover, the warmth of human relationships should not replace an intimacy with the God who calls us into fellowship.
On the other hand, our journey of intimacy with God cannot leave us as solitary persons. God not only calls us to Himself, but also invites us to work out our love and commitment on the journey by embracing our companions on the journey, as well as our neighbor who so frequently remains a stranger.
Thus the search for inner peace and empowerment becomes the impulse for a search for human community. Intimacy with God can sustain our efforts at community building. And our attempts at building meaningful human relationships should encourage our need to return to the source of life for nourishment and renewal."
"The Search for Community" in Dare to Journey with Nenri Nouwen by Charles Ringma.
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A related comment from me:
We must look to God for our identity and then live out that identify in community, and not the reverse.
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