Our current culture seems to be built upon the proliferation of increased isolation and individualism. That was very wordy way to say that we like doing things on our won. We prefer self-service registers. We pump our own gas. We avoid troubling others with our tasks. Consequently, we are prone to do more things alone than with others. This is the current plight of individualism in our society.

I suspect that this popular attitude was prevalent when Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome. Amidst some very powerful words in the letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:11). Being devoted to one another and honoring one another above yourselves, tells individualism to take a back seat for the sake of community. The Greek word for devoted literally means to treat each other like family, doing whatever it takes in the interest of family.

As we unsubscribe from “isolation”, let us be mindful of the importance to be devoted to one another as opposed to being devoted to getting our way or holding fast to our positions. Much of the latter stems from an addiction to individualism. It ignores the community dynamic. May we continue to treat each other like family and love like our lives depend upon it.