"We were created to draw life and nourishment from one another the way the roots of an oak tree draw life from the soil. Community=living in vital connectedness with others-is essential to human life."
I've been back at school for a week today. Sometimes it feels like I have been here for a whole month, other times it feels like just a couple days. I'm not sure what that means for me.
I have a single room this semester and that has been nice in that i get space just to myself and have a retreat from everything. A place the think with no interruptions. I miss Jenelle so I'm glad she is just across the hall :)
Yesterday I picked up a book that I have to read for my Ministry Relationships class called "Everybody's Normal Till You Get To Know Them" by John Ortberg. That is where the quote above comes from. I wasn't thrilled at all about having to read this book. The title sounds so weird to me. But it was for an assignment so I picked it up anyway and started to read. And I love it. He talks all about living in community and how vital it is for us. That God made us for each other and our hearts are made to long for deep connection with others.
I am longing for connection.
Being back here at school has been very difficult for me. Molly, Julie, and Caleb are all gone. And that's a very strange thing for me. I have found myself withdrawing from people this week. It's been hard for me to connect with anyone. It's not something I'm used to having to put effort towards. That had always come easily to me in the past. But now I'm struggling with it a lot. It's so weird to me how I can be surrounded by a thousand people who love Jesus and are around me everyday...and I still feel alone. I think this is a learning time and growing time for me. I can choose to be withdrawn and shy away from people this whole semester and be miserable, or I can choose to make the effort and invest time in others and have a great semester. I'm choosing the latter. I need to learn how to connect with people again. I just have to be brave enough to make the effort and let people get close to my heart.
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2 comments:
I hear ya, it's nice to have some space sometimes, but also too much time alone can start to mess with our heads a little. Just push yourself to connect, I believe in you, I know you'll be great.
and if you ever need someone out-of-context to chat with, you know I'm around.
-nathan m-
what a great challenge this semester is presenting for all of us!
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