Community living

It has been good and at times challenging to live in a community of people from all walks of life and from many different cultures. We share the same general living space, eat together, pray together, and last night, released a recovered sea turtle together. While difficult at times, I do notice the difference in accountability. When you live your life in your own house with no one really to see what you are doing, it can be easy to think that what you do doesn't really matter since no one will see you. But when you have all these people around it does make you much more aware of how your actions affect other people. I like that about our village in England. I know that when the kids go out, people know them and watch out for them and that I will hear if they are doing something they shouldn't. I like it that people know me and especially as someone involved publicly with the church, that they are watching. Not that I want to do all these bad things, but just that it is much easier to live in the way I want to when I do that in community. I feel a much greater sense of responsibility. Of course, it should be enough that God is watching, so to speak. But sometimes that is too nebulous a concept. I think that is why God wants us to share our lives with others and why community is a gift.