If God has been teaching me anything lately, it's this: It's the people. Life is best lived with others, and I am most satisfied when I am listening to and talking with the people in my life. Despite my introversion, I am still designed for community. God has been gracious to me, too, in that he has brought me into a community full of amazing people.
First and foremost, my wife is awesome! Not only is she the most beautiful woman in the world, but she also has the perfect personality to draw me out of my introspective cave. I wouldn't have the friends I do today if I hadn't married her. And my kids...wow! They're amazing! I just love to hold them close and tell them how much I love them. I know this stage won't last forever, so I'm going to take advantage of it while I can.
We have a small group (which is actually quite large--over 30 including kids) that meets in our house, and I'm continually amazed by how great everyone is. Seriously, everyone. And God has been so good to us. Dave and Nicole just had a baby, and Dave got his old job back! John and Stephanie just had a baby, too. Matt and Emilie didn't have a baby, but Matt got a good job that he's doing really well with. Chad and Christy were recently able to adopt. Jon and Kristin are about to have a baby in a month, and Jon recently got a good job, too. Garth and Kelly got out from underneath their house and will be moving five minutes from us. Bonus! God has been so faithful to each of these couples over the past year, how can I not help but have hope that he will continue to be faithful to us as well?
And that's not even everyone in the group! Bill and Kim are awesome and turned me on to some great music (One eskimO). Charlie and Katie are amazing. Eric and Heather are generous and let me borrow a chainsaw! (I'll try not to kill myself with it.) Quinn was capturing us with stories of her mission trip up the Amazon. Tess always has a smile on her face, no matter what's going on. Amy is a perceptive leader, and Erica has one of the most incredible stories you'll ever hear. This is really an amazing group of people, and I thank God for all of them. And I thank God for teaching me that life isn't about my gifts or calling, it's about the people, and the community, that God puts me into. That was a hard lesson to learn, and I pray I never forget it.
3 comments:
This is beautiful. It puts all this stuff going on, into perspective. We are abundantly blessed!
From two introverts to another, Garth and I want to say that we're walking right beside you in this. We've been physically isolated from our friends for so long that we're just now opening ourselves up to the hope of sharing our lives with other people, and we're not sure how we made it so long without community. Thanks for writing this; I agree with everything you said, especially about your beautiful wife and exceptional kids! ;)
This is fun brother! Now what about your pretty cool family?? ;)
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