A Kept Promise

Well, I went to church this morning!  And I loved it!! :) :)

It was a small church, and the message was great!  It really spoke to me.  I moved to New Bern with every intention of not beginning any new relationships.  I wanted this time to myself.  Four months of me on my own -- figuring myself out, doing things I liked.  But I went to church today to meet another personal fulfillment goal, and what's the message?  We were made to have relationships with other people.  And that we need to always push ourselves to have better relationships. 

I really liked the service -- it was modern, relatable, and understandable.

As I was walking out, the minister pulled me aside and encouraged me to get involved.  He then introduced me to some people who would be in my Sunday school (which meets in the evenings), and long story short -- I ended up going to "Small Group" (their version of Sunday School)!

I was really surprised with myself for getting so involved so quickly.  I knew no one, and was intimidated by the fact that everyone there was in a relationship with a Marine and that 3 of the Marines were there.  But everyone turned out to be really nice, really mature, really level-headed, and really focused on their relationship with God and Christ.  It was exactly what I needed.  The wives were really nice, and they inspire me to be like them -- to be mature, to believe in love, to be honest and open minded.

But one question that we talked at length about: What is standing in your way to leading a high definition life?  And before the question was even finished, I knew what my answer was: my own bitterness.  And I shared this with the group, explaining that in the recent past, I've been so hurt and disappointed by people in my life that I had become numb and closed off to people.  That I was just tired of people and opening myself up to them.  And they responded really well to it.  One wife even said that she went through a period just like that and that it was the best time of her life -- she learned so much about herself.  So that really encouraged me to continue on this journey, but to also stay open for friendships.

So I got the message about friends, God.  I'm still confused about whether or not you want me to apply that to relationships with Men (are you also telling me that my relationship embargo is equally idiotic?), but I think that for now, I've made quite a connection with God, with this new church, and with the people in my Small Group.  A step in the right direction.

I'm so glad that I went to church.  That I made that promise to myself, that I kept it, and that God spoke to me through the message of the week.  And that I was open-eared enough to hear it.  So I begin this week on a positive note, with a personal revelation, and with a hope-filled heart.