"There is hardly a need stronger than the need to belong. We were created this way. Every one of us came out of a womb screaming for warmth, companionship, and someone else's heartbeat. We were rudely ripped out of that idyllic existence and thrust into a cold, impersonal, lonely world. And the rest of our lives are spent trying to find that intimacy again. Everyone knows this feeling because everyone has had the same experience once - being so close that our mother's heartbeat was a constant presence - and everyone knows that reuniting with others is somehow a part of our common purpose. No man is an island."

~John Fischer, "Not Alone"

My personal theme song in high school used to be Simon & Garfunkel's "I Am a Rock" -- my favorite lines being that a rock feels no pain and an island never cries...

When I was in Michigan last month, my former pastor there used this passage by John Fischer in his sermon and I sat in the service crying as the realization of what was being said really hit me. We all seek community in many ways, whether we admit it or not; and whether we admit it or not, the need for community is always there. Christians especially can be so reluctant to express that need for fear of seeming weak, but I agree with John Fischer - we were created by God's design to be needy people! Out of that neediness comes community, which can only occur when we actively seek it. It's time to stop being ashamed of this kind of God-designed neediness and to go and live our lives as God intended us, in order to fulfill our plan here! I'm off my soapbox now and getting back to real life, but I felt like I needed to share what I am learning right now. Thanks for listening!