Thursday, May 31, 2012

Whiny post of the week.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them.

 I feel a lot of pity right now. For myself.

It's ridiculous the sad faces of martyrdom I'm making right now. You would probably laugh if you saw me. Miss dramatic, right here. But honestly? Motherhood is kind of a lonely place sometimes.

I used to have a large circle of friends prior to marriage. A large circle of male friends I might add. While I'm still on good terms with all of them, it's not really appropriate for me to spend alone time with them anymore. Which is fine really, I am more than happy to change the way I interact with my guy friends if that means making sure my husband is secure in our marriage and that I don't fall prey to inappropriate behavior. I'm glad i've made that choice...

....On the other hand, that leaves me kind of lonely. *Insert martyr face here*

 Well who am I kidding, I'm pretty much starved for adult interaction. I know I am not alone in this.

I spend most of my day talking to my very young children, which leaves me feeling a little unstimulated intellectually. My jobs (unfortunately I have several) revolve around me talking to teenagers, or developmentally disabled adults who are completely nonverbal. Again, I feel blessed that I have the income when we so desperately need it, and I appreciate having a chance to help others through my job.

However, fellowship is important. Finding others who you can share your life's victories and struggles with makes your days invigorating and exciting. Having the support of others makes your burden a little lighter, and we can in turn help lighten the burden of a friend as well. Even better, befriending someone who is a follower of Christ can help you mature on your walk. As the verse above says, two is better than one (or three, or four, or a dozen!)

I struggle with making friends, as I am still slowly making my way into the woman that God wants me to be. However, my tomboy tendencies make speaking to other women very difficult. I would much rather watch a couple of brutes beat each other up in the Octagon, than talk about gardening or whatever. I am learning though, that so long as I find other women of faith I will always at least have ONE thing to talk about with them, even if we have nothing else in common!

So I am instituting a challenge for myself, and readers can join in if they feel compelled. It's a June Friendship challenge. For the month of June I will make a concerted effort to reach out to other women every day. Be it the lady I see at the park with her kids, or chatting with a younger co-worker about her summer plans or even (shyly) asking an older woman in my church if I can meet her for coffee and pick her brain for a bit. There are no rules here, except that you have to find at least ONE person every day to intentionally invest friendship into.

Be kind, be a good listener, be bold and be a light to others. Who knows, perhaps you will meet someone who could use a friend too!

Good luck, and I will update as the month wears on.

Cheers!

The Uncouth Christian

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