Community

Yesterday, I had my eGroup with other moms who have special needs children. We have moms representing autism, brain injuries, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, paralysis, rare neurological genetic conditions. So as you can tell we have a lot to talk about. But we didn't have this group until a few months ago and I can't imagine a month where I wouldn't meet with the ladies now. It is such a fun group and we encourage each other. When I thought about what we deal with in my family, I knew that we should have an eGroup with other moms like deal with these issues too. It helped that one of the ladies in our group basically told me I had to start it :)

Our first book was Desperate: Hope for the Mom who Needs to Breathe. It is such a great book and talks about the need for our generation of women to have community. Way back in the day, people didn't really leave their hometown. So you lived where your mom, grandma, sisters, cousins all lived. You had instant community. But what do you do now when you live 5 hours away from them all? You have to make a new community.

I am now listening to a sermon series from Craig Groeschel called Friending. He says that we should have around 5 friends that would pick up your phone call at 2am and help you no matter what, but most Americans only have 2. How many do you have? What do you need to do to open yourself up to friendship? It takes work to keep your friendship up but it is so worth it to have people you can do life with. More importantly the way you invest in your friends is the type of friend you will get back. If you need a friend who says they will pray with you then you need to be a friend that prays for them.

The one word I keep getting when I think about making my community is "intentional." What are you doing right now that is developing your friendship with someone? What are some steps that you can take that may be out of your comfort zone that will have a lasting impact on you and your family? I want my children to grow up and remember our home as open, inviting, lively. But that takes work...seriously you have to clean and cook and not burn your food. Are you up to the challenge? It is worth it!