I was reflecting today on the concept of community at work. I have a running joke that while we’re not a family at work — because let’s be real, some families have issues we definitely don’t want to bring into the office — we are a community. I like to say that I might be a Publix, and someone else might be the Post Office — but even though we do different things, we need each other. You can’t mail a letter at Publix, and you can’t buy groceries at the Post Office, but both are essential. That’s what community is — different people with different purposes, all coming together because we can’t thrive alone.
This week at work really brought that into focus. Over the past few days, we experienced two major events — one where we mourned the death of a coworker, and one where we celebrated a birthday and life. In both moments, our SSMC community showed up. We rallied around each other to offer support, encouragement, and love. And it reminded me how important it is to have community not just in the good times but also in the hard times. It brought to mind Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 — “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”
Later this week, I went to Encounter Night at church. I was able to worship and reconnect with a community of believers — people I hadn’t seen in a while, but it was like no time had passed. Just being in that space, surrounded by love and faith, was powerful. On the way home, I called my mom — another community, one of family — but still, at its core, a group of people bound by love and connection.
Even outside of the big moments, I saw the power of community in smaller ways this week. I was able to reach out to friends just to vent when I was dealing with some things — and honestly, was it helpful? Absolutely. Sometimes just having someone to listen, to sit with you in whatever you’re going through, is all you need to catch your breath and keep going. That, too, is what community is — not fixing everything, but being there.
And when I got home, I caught up on our Si-Stars podcast and thought about that community — friends who are honest, vulnerable, and who challenge me to grow.
All of these spaces reminded me of something important: we are not meant to live isolated lives. From the very beginning, scripture shows us that community matters. In Acts 2:42-47, the early Church gathered together regularly, shared meals, prayed, and supported each other — and because of that unity, the Bible says “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” They changed the world — not as individuals, but as a community.
When the Israelites stood together, they were strong, resilient, and victorious. But when they were fragmented and divided, they became vulnerable and easily defeated. Psalm 133 captures this so beautifully: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”
Over and over, God shows us that life is meant to be lived together. That’s the beauty of community — support, laughter, tears, honesty, quiet moments. It’s the spaces where we are fully seen, fully loved, and never truly alone.
Sometimes, I’ll be honest, I feel alone. But the truth is, I’m not. I have these communities I can lean into — whether to share, to laugh, to cry, or simply to be. And for that, I am truly thankful.
If you don’t have a community yet, I pray you find one. I pray you allow yourself to be grafted in, to connect, to belong. Because in community, there is peace, there is joy, and there is the strength you need for the journey ahead.
That’s all.
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