Do You Belong to a Group?

Have you heard of a gaggle of geese? When it comes to people, it’s called a group, and groups come in various forms.

The first group is an organized assemblage, or body of people, as opposed to a crowd, which can be a mass, a mob, or a swarm of human beings. The second group is a family, tribe, or race.

The first group is by choice; the second is by chance.

Our lives are made up of both kinds. For example, you may have attended an elementary school based on the community where you lived. Then in school, you were assigned a grade level; however, within that grade you chose personal friends, or they chose you.

Either way, there’s something satisfying about being part of a group that shares common goals and a unified purpose.

That stands in great contrast to a crowd that can assemble on a whim. You see it daily; mobs wreaking havoc and creating hardship for whatever group or ideology the leaders have decided to attack.

Here’s some good advice: Do not follow a crowd in wrongdoing (Exodus 23:2). Can you imagine such ancient wisdom still being true for us moderns?

Isaiah pictures crowd violence as a troubled sea, churning up mire and muck (Isaiah 57:20). Paul throws out a couple of questions for you, too: (1) How can righteousness partner with wickedness, and (2) What fellowship does light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).

The Old Testament asks, “Can two walk together without agreeing where to go?” (Amos 3:3). And the New Testament reminds us to pursue faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22).

Choices are an important part of life. Whatever our choice, it should be reflected in the group(s) we choose.

There are many ways to belong to a group, in person or on social media. So, go ahead; make a choice. Live life to the full. Set yourself free from isolation and loneliness and help bring some good into this world.

Pixabay: Geese, Wild Geese, Waterfowl; Alexas_Fotos.