| I was listening to a podcast discussion on vocation where Gustavo Santos at Regent College brought up the limitations of self-sufficiency from a Christian perspective. Discussing the book of Ruth, he noted that “Ruth is fighting for her survival in a way, and Boaz shows … grace and mercy in a way that’s very beautiful and touching, and that kind of reminds us that self-sufficiency is not really something that Scripture values, but that depending on one another is something good.” The way Gustavo said outright that self-sufficiency was not a Christian value forced me to think of how many of us live as if it were. We believe in the importance of community, and we repeat cultural lines like “better together” and “no man is an island” and biblical ones like “iron sharpens iron” and “where two or more are gathered….” But we still see our primary obligations and responsibilities as ours alone, while our social lives are another thing entirely. As Christians, we’re also inclined to divide up our spiritual lives. Our devotions and prayers are for our own spiritual growth, while our hospitality and charity are for the sake of others. Even this kind of divide contradicts the unified life of faith God calls us to, as Jen Wilkin points out in her latest CT column. She writes: We instinctively divide our sins into two categories: those that affect our neighbor and those that affect only us. The ancient god of individualism whispers that some sins are just between God and me. If there are consequences, they will impact only me. And this is simply not true. The consistent message of the Bible is this: Personal sin yields collateral suffering, without fail. Jen reminds us that our efforts to pursue holiness and fight sin in our “personal lives” really aren’t personal at all. They will shape our interactions with our families, neighbors, and communities. The line between personal spiritual development and the common good is blurred. Neuroscience even provides some backing here. Clinical psychologist and theologian Jim Wilder has written about the thinking patters around spiritual formatting, finding that “our spiritual maturity is directly related to our relational maturity.” In a review of Wilder’s latest book, Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, and the Church That Transforms, Geoff Holsclaw writes, “When we reach a spiritual wall or plateau, we often either double down on our spiritual practices or cast them aside. But brain science tell us that the better answer is working to grow our relational skills as a means of growing our relational and spiritual capacity.” “Spiritual practices done alone will not change our character. They may help a little. But relational skills grown through community will lead to lasting transformation,” he said. Part of me doesn’t like reading lines like that right now. Community isn’t the same these days, whether over Zoom, or socially distanced, or less frequent, or without those who can’t make it due to health concerns. But the truth stands that even during a pandemic, our fellowship and relationships aren’t optional parts of our spiritual lives. We were designed to pursue God together. I love seeing creative ways that people are continuing to meet together and disciple one another. And I know the longing that I feel for my spiritual community and the rhythms we used to have are a reminder that I am not meant to go at it alone. Kate | 