On the Inside Looking Out

This Fall, it will be four years since we moved to this small prairie city. And I realize I am not chasing church anymore. Chasing church? Sounds strange, doesn't it? Let me explain. I am expending less energy on trying to fit in at my place of worship. Instead, I am allowing God to bring people along my path that fit with me and our family's passions and interests.

At the Family Camp we were recently at, your Daddy and I had an opportunity to connect with a woman who attends our church with her husband. Because of their ministry, they attend sporadically. As a result, they don't feel like they are building relationships within our church. Your Daddy and I shared with her how we often felt the same, that we didn't fit into the existing groups that comprised our congregation, in spite of our church's overall welcoming spirit. Our collective struggle encouraged us and this woman to pursue relationships with people like us. After all, there are probably more people in our situation than we realize.

So, instead of frantically trying to invite "church people" into our home as an attempt to connect with someone, your Daddy and I have shifted our focus. We are actively trying to build relationships with people that God has placed along our path. In the last three months, we have had three groups of people over (other than extended family). One group was our Care Group from church, a multi-age, multi-stage group of believers in Christ whom we have grown to love. The other two groups were either co-workers or former students of your Daddy. This coming week, we will be hosting a BBQ with a couple and their kids with whom we have connected through swimming and soccer.

I find all of this liberating and encouraging. There is something freeing about accepting your situation as God's providence. There is peace in knowing that maybe things are the way they are for a reason. After all, if we get too chummy-chummy with church insiders, we might not be motivated to seek authentic, loving relationships with those on the outside.

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