Community

For those of you who don't know, I host a small group for moms with young children. Every Thursday morning, we all get together, bring our kids, and hang out. The kids play and we supervise and even get to chat some. It has been my sanity some weeks.

Actually, I first started it when I read the book Lifegiving. I stumbled across it at the library one day, and was very inspired by the portrayal of Godly hospitality in the book. I had just found out I was pregnant with Audrey, and Hannah was still under a year old, but I was compelled by the idea that I should be opening my home to other women. We were living in a 700 square foot home with hand me down furniture (still have lots of that!), I was newly pregnant with a young baby already, and I was feeling very insecure and sorry for myself. "Why would they want to come here, Lord? Many of them come from nice homes and they have it all together, and they have their own friendships." I complained a lot, but I couldn't get rid of the feeling. Finally, I started the small group out of obedience. I had never really felt "good" at hospitality. I didn't think I had anything to offer anybody, but I wanted to be obedient.

That was a year and a half ago now. This morning there were five of us. It has never really grown any bigger, but neither has my living room! We had a great time looking at each others' wedding pictures and laughing at the funny things our kids did. I'm so glad I obeyed.

What I really want from that group, is the old sense of community, of shared life. Growing up, my parents had friends they had grown up with. I remember BBQ's and pool parties and craft days with fondness. Colorado is a place most people "transplanted" to. There are few real natives around. So, there are few people with deep ties to...anybody. That's not the way we're supposed to do Christianity, or life as Christians. There's no way to succeed that way. We need interdependence. If we don't have it, we need to create it.

I want to have and be the kind of friends who can show up on your doorstep and you'll be glad to see them, whether the kitchen is clean or you have makeup on, or the kids are dressed...or not. Do people still have friends like that? I wonder sometimes..