Consider the wildflowers, their colors splayed across mountainsides, blanketing deep valleys, adorning otherwise bleak highway medians.
Unassuming. Unapologetic.
Their beauty is undeniable, but their true significance is rooted in the ageless wisdom quietly whispered through their gentle resilience, persistence, and bounty of shared life season after season.
Perhaps the similarities between the wildflowers and our own communities are not immediately apparent, but their lessons become evident when we are willing to slow down and simply notice.
Beauty in Diversity
Pinks, violets, bright cyans to deep sapphires, the symphony of colors meld into a masterpiece of shapes and sizes. Each flower is beautiful on its own, but in relationship with the others a masterpiece.
So, too, is the truth of community. The gifts, talents, and unique backgrounds of each individual are beautiful on their own, but when combined with others they create a beauty that can only be realized through diversity in community.
No two communities are alike, nor can they ever be replicated. Their beauty is ever changing as individuals leave and others join, creating something that is truly one-of-a-kind.
Uniquely Individual, yet Deeply Connected
In terms of strength, a single wildflower is weak and vulnerable to the elements. As wildflowers grow they intertwine their roots, creating support and stability for each flower to grow and thrive. It is virtually impossible to pluck a single flower without disturbing the others.
Building a community with others is a process of intermingling and investing, entering into the messy and the beautiful. As we draw strength from others, and offer a shoulder when needed we begin to weave our lives together.
It is in the willingness to give and receive that we form bonds, build relationships, and learn to support one another, both personally and professionally. We mourn and grieve with our hurting members, we wade through the ordinary, and celebrate wins.
We are stronger together, better together.
Energy Multiplies in Shared Spaces
Diversity is beautiful, it is also vital for sustainability. The various colors of wildflowers attract a wide variety of pollinators that are necessary to maintain and sustain life.
Life attracts life.
A vibrant community attracts, welcoming the outsider in. The invitation is open, without expectation or strings. Where there is life there is growth. Multiplication can only happen in spaces that are willing to expand, understanding that the risk of vulnerability is worth the reward of connection.
Wild and Free
Consider the WILDflowers.
Wild. Free. Untamed.
Communities with depth are not constructed with strict rules and regulations, they are created in spaces that allow individuals to create, network, collaborate, and dream.
They provide a safe space of respite and the courage to launch again. They encourage, challenge, and connect us one to another. They invite us to remain when it would be easier to leave.
Community becomes a masterpiece when individuality is celebrated alongside collective belonging.
And, like the wildflowers, community displays its wisdom through relentless resilience, faithful persistence, and audacious generosity in prioritizing shared life.