Last year sometime, Nancy and I decided we would really embrace a church home. We picked a place and began to plug in. And I have to say it's been... awful.
I don't have nearly as much free time. Instead of sitting on my couch eating ice cream and watching TV I'm at church. OK, I still sit on my couch, eat ice cream and watch TV, but I feel way more rushed.
I've started to like the people there. I miss them when I travel. I worry about their kids, ailing parents workload and financial situations. I've even said prayers for them. Do you realize how much anxiety there is in carrying someone else's burdens?
What's worse is the people there seem to care about me! They ask about my life, how I'm doing and seem to want a REAL answer. It's bizarre.
Our decision to find a church and love it has come with a price. We have had to make different decisions about time, vacations and lifestyle. Entering into the lives of others and sharing our story with them has been a lesson in vulnerability and acceptance.
The decision to love a church, to love people, is always going to come at a cost. What I'm learning though is it has been good for me, challenged me, encouraged me and grown me. I care deeply for those people and something about that has changed me. And it's good.
I don't have nearly as much free time. Instead of sitting on my couch eating ice cream and watching TV I'm at church. OK, I still sit on my couch, eat ice cream and watch TV, but I feel way more rushed.
I've started to like the people there. I miss them when I travel. I worry about their kids, ailing parents workload and financial situations. I've even said prayers for them. Do you realize how much anxiety there is in carrying someone else's burdens?
What's worse is the people there seem to care about me! They ask about my life, how I'm doing and seem to want a REAL answer. It's bizarre.
Our decision to find a church and love it has come with a price. We have had to make different decisions about time, vacations and lifestyle. Entering into the lives of others and sharing our story with them has been a lesson in vulnerability and acceptance.
The decision to love a church, to love people, is always going to come at a cost. What I'm learning though is it has been good for me, challenged me, encouraged me and grown me. I care deeply for those people and something about that has changed me. And it's good.
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