community
the following is an excerpt from the book We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families by Philip Gourevitch. It is in reference to a story told by a woman about the Rwandan cultural responsibility to respond to those who cry out in a crisis situation. If I am in crisis, I want someone to help me. Therefore, if someone else is in crisis, I will help them. "I cry, you cry. You cry, I cry."So there is responsibility. I cry, you cry. You cry, I cry. We all come running, and the one who stays quiet, the one that stays home, must explain. Is he in league with the criminals? Is he a coward? And what would he expect when he cries? This is simple. This is normal. This is community.
It struck me as an enviable agreement. If you cry out, where you live, can you expect to be heard? If you hear a cry of alarm, do you add your voice and come running? Are rapes often averted, and rapists captured, in this way in your place? I was deeply impressed.
Should this not be the norm among our Christian community?
Rom 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
i am thankful to have a community where i believe this to be the norm. i have, in fact, seen it to be the norm. someone loses a job - we all search for a new one. someone gets engaged or married - we have a party. someone has an injury without insurance - we all give what we can.
this is, however, unfortunately uncommon in the united states. if this is not a picture of your community, i dare say you should look for a new one. or create it yourself.
posted by Alexia & Jeffrey @ 3:17 PM
1 Comments:
You are right! "i am thankful to have a community where i believe this to be the norm. i have, in fact, seen it to be the norm. someone loses a job - we all search for a new one. someone gets engaged or married - we have a party. someone has an injury without insurance - we all give what we can."
That is important.
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