Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wish I knew how to proceed....

We have had an extra little heartbeat with us recently. I will admit, I am often uneasy when we have extra people around. Kids can be so cruel these days, well even when I was young. I had a friend come over during Christmas break in elementary school. We had a sleepover, talked about secrets and had the best time. When we came back from break, I learned that she had called all my friends and told them my secrets and had instructed them not to talk to me. So, I have a few issues. Also, have so many friends who are just naturally superfun moms. They have art activities and gourmet snacks and kids crying their eyes out when they have to leave and go to their own homes. I never feel I can measure up. I feel I have the lamest house around. Therefore, my children have suffered from lack of play dates. Recently, we had a friend come and go to church with us. Now let me be clear, I am in no place to judge anyone. Just because I grew up in church doesn't mean I need to force it on anyone. This occasion happened out of logistics sake. After a meal and small group time with people their own age, the child came up to me and asked if they could come again to church. I said, "It is certainly fine with me, but you will have to ask your parents. I don't know your schedule. I'll be glad to bring you any time.". Upon speaking with their adult and asking about future visits, it was clear the answer was probably a "no" based on the child's reaction. It broke my heart. I understand there are a million different reasons why the answer could be negative. The sadness lies in the fact I have grown up loving church because of the exposure I had as a child. I learned to love the stories, the music, the fellowship. I have several friends who were not blessed with similar experiences. While church can be a great place, it can be a cruel one also. Doctrines can be cruel and exclusive, people can be unfriendly and divisive and leaders can make cruel decisions based on changes in family dynamics or difficulties in financial or legal areas. I can only hope and pray that, if not our church, another church will be able to share that excitement with people who have had negative experiences in the past.

I don't want you to think I am preaching a sermon at all. I just saw the excitement in the child's face and heard about the fun they had with friends. I am so glad that my kids have a place to go away from school, where they have great friends to share with, worship with and do things for others with. I want everyone to have a chance at that. Night all...




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