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I just got back from our Women’s retreat, and it was wonderful to catch up with friends and fellowship. I did not plan to attend the retreat this year, as an overachieving introvert I find lots of excuses to back out of social opportunities. Guilty as charged. But I was asked to speak and although my flesh said, “no thank you” in the nicest tone I could muster the Holy Spirit which dwells within me said “yes” and that’s what came out.
When I said yes, my daughter had just gotten her cast and pins removed, and her arm was on the road to recovery.
Smooth sailing for the rest of the summer! Nope.
A month prior to the retreat we found out that my daughter’s vision in her left eye was compromised and she needed surgery. We traveled out of state for her surgery and the retreat was the following weekend. I would have canceled but I had already committed to speak. As much as a wanted an excuse to bail, I knew the Lord had a powerful message He wanted me to share.
We might be blindsided by the events of the world, but nothing comes as a surprise to God. He has perfect timing so on that note I want to share a story of God’s timing in my life.
3+ years ago I posted on a regional organic gardening page asking if anyone wanted free horseradish plants and a lady responded, turns out she lived just miles from me. As homesteading, and homeschooling mommas we immediately clicked and started a Facebook friendship. You know the kind that shares random memes about farm things and texts about grain prices. Okay, maybe that’s more country than you were expecting.
Anyways Townley and I kept chatting as the years rolled on, and come to find out we have been married the same number of years and met our husbands the same year. Although she managed to produce six incredible children in the time it took me to produce two. Last August when I started our mom’s fellowship group at church, she was one of the first regular attendees and she’s been steadfast even loaning some of those incredible children to help with childcare.
Townley was instrumental support last Spring during a difficult lambing season on our farm and we still banter in farm memes and stories of the day often. A friendship that started by tossing out an offer of free horseradish to several thousand strangers planted a root, ha see what I did there? That root grew, Townley and her family are so important to me but also to our church family which they now belong, they fit it’s like there was always a place for them in our congregation they just had to find it.
I think many of us unfortunately have experienced attending a church where we felt less than welcome, sometimes even downright judged. It’s unfortunate that so many people walk away from church because of hurt. It hurts more when it comes from fellow Christians, we should do better. I heard a statement and I wish I knew who to give it credit to, but since Townley and I both raise sheep, it seems appropriate, when it comes to the congregation “sheep bites hurt”. At the end of the day, we are just deeply flawed people doing our best and failing a lot. If you have been rejected by a church don’t give up, we are called to fellowship together. Pray about it, see where those you respect and admire attend services, and try again. If Townley and her family hadn’t given our church a chance, with the hustle and bustle of our lives we might have never forged much of a meaningful friendship past Facebook. Now I get to see her incredible family all the time and it’s awesome.
Townley was my roommate at the retreat, and we spent the first night giggling like elementary school girls, laughing about the most random things, with tears streaming down my face we started laughing about housecoats (that we both own) and Isotoners, the kind of slippers my grandmother wore, and they are so comfortable. I told her that night as we muffled our laughter in our pillows that I would write a post about housecoats and Isotoners and I keep my word.
Sometimes finding that right fit is more torturous than we would like. Sometimes putting yourself out there after being rejected is hard. Sometimes being obedient to the Holy Spirit is stressful! It’s His timing and His plan. I cast a net to organic gardeners on social media as I tried to unload horseradish roots. I landed a sister in Christ.
Lord, I give thanks to you for how you move in my life, and how you weave pieces together and create art. Guide my day, steady my hand and help me to pray without ceasing. I am so grateful for how you move in my life. It’s your timing, it’s your plan. -Amen
*The accounts are true; the name of the involved parties has been changed.