Called to Community
by Stella Whalen
I didn't understand the importance of community until this past year when I went from having none to being surrounded three times a week by girls who cared for my heart.
There is a difference between community and having a few close relationships here and there. Relationships like best friends, significant others, family members, etc. are fulfilling and one of life's greatest treasures. Community, however, is like a group project: necessary for growth, challenging, but if done right is beneficial to all of those involved.
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| Photo of people gathered around a table eating a meal outdoors. |
Each athlete has different pasts, personalities, work ethics, motivators, and habits that make becoming a team of one difficult. As humans, we naturally divide ourselves into groups of similarities and dissimilarities. A team's beauty is seen when one person's weakness becomes another person's strength and vice versa. It takes maturity, time and practice to reach that fluidity, but the end product supports the idea that we are better as one team than one individual.
Christian athletes have the unique opportunity to not just bond in community through our sport but also through our faith and in a way where the two converge. God talks about the importance of coming together and encouraging each other not just in our beliefs but in our daily lives too. Everything changes when you are held accountable, motivated and loved by a group greater than yourself. I believe that the most reliable way to succeed in your sport and in your life is found in the same place: in community.
I strongly resonate with the idea that we should come together and encourage each other. Being together allows me to learn from others, which is a wonderful thing. Moreover, sharing each other's pain when times are tough and being able to grow through that experience is the strength of a community.
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