“Created for Community!”

We have a spring fed spring stream that runs through our pastures – and it’s kind of interesting to see the different ways our horses react to it. A couple of our mares are just plain “mudders” – it seems like they’re always in the water. We’ll hear them splashing in it, but even if we didn’t we could tell how much they like the water by the mud that comes almost up to their knees in the summertime. My wife’s mare, on the other hand, wouldn’t dream of splashing across it. She’s got to tip the scales at over 1100 lbs but she’s afraid to get her feet wet! When we got her we weren’t sure if she’d ever even crossed water, so we had to spend some time working on that with her.
Now, there are actually a couple of different ways to get a horse to cross water. If your horse is trained to seek the release you can actually take your horse out alone to a park with water crossings, line your horse up and reward every small movement forward, and eventually (it might take a l-o-o-o-n-g time) your horse will plunge in and cross. It might literally leap in and race across the first time, but with each subsequent trip across your horse will become calmer and quieter about it.
But I didn’t really want to have to spend that much time waiting for my wife’s horse to finally cross, because she’s pretty stubborn and so I opted for an easier method. I called a friend who was working up at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch, hauled our mare up there and went out on the trails with just one other horse – one that was both familiar with and completely confident with all of the water crossings along their trails. We started out with the shallowest and easiest crossings, and once my friend’s horse crossed mine – not wanting to be left alone – did likewise! You see, horses are “herd” animals, and they will seek out and prefer the safety and security of other horses. That’s why one of the safest ways to introduce a young horse to something new is to take out an older horse with them. The older horse supports, strengthens, and offers confidence to the younger one.
And I can’t help but wonder whether or not that might be why, when Jesus sent His disciples out here in Luke 10 to “practice” the ministry skills they were learning, that He sent them out in twos! Because the one could strengthen, encourage, and support the other. You see, I’m convinced that we were created to be in community with one another. From the creation account in Genesis when God can find no suitable companion for Adam and so creates Eve to fill that void, the Bible reminds us again and again how much we need one another. Solomon in Ecclesiastes makes this point when he writes that “two are better than one… for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion, but woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” And the book of Acts tells us of the radical community that is formed in Jerusalem by the new believers, where homes are opened up to one another, property and possessions are sold and the proceeds given away to those in need, and folks care for one another sacrificially! You see, we were created for community, and we’re most vulnerable when we isolate ourselves from others! Oh, we’ll read every so often of some hermit, off living alone in the mountains or in a cave somewhere, and seemingly the happier for it, but the very fact that such a person makes the news proves my point. We were created for community!
Increasingly today we’ll hear from folks – usually younger people – who have forsaken the Church all the while arguing that they can practice their faith – or more often their spirituality – on their own. And you can encounter God in the privacy of your own home. But real growth requires the presence of another, of someone who can encourage us, support us, spar with us, and even help us learn patience and forgiveness. Someone once said that “(You) can acquire everything in solitude except character,” and they're right. You need others for that.
Stu Weber tells of being drafted in 1967, while the country was at war in Vietnam. Stu soon found himself at the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was brutal. He writes:

"I can still hear the raspy voice of the sergeant: 'We are here to save your lives. We're going to see to it that you overcome all your natural fears. We're going to show you just how much incredible stress the human mind and body can endure. And when we're finished with you, you will be the U.S. Army's best!'

"Then, before he dismissed the formation, he announced our first assignment. We'd steeled ourselves for something really tough—like running 10 miles in full battle gear or rappelling down a sheer cliff.

"Instead, he told us to … find a buddy!"

"'Find yourself a Ranger buddy,' he growled. 'You will stick together. You will never leave each other. You will encourage each other, and, as necessary, you will carry each other.' It was the army's way of saying, 'Difficult assignments require a friend. Together is better.'"

It’s like that for us too. God never intended for us to isolate ourselves. We need one another if we’re going to navigate our way safely through the trials and temptations of this world. We were created for community!
(From February 1st Cowboy Church)