Friday, April 27, 2012

Five Minute Friday: Community



1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in. 
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. 

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on: :: Community… 

Ready? Set... Go! 

I sat at a table today and looked across my cup of coffee at a new friend. I've been living in this small town for almost two years, waiting for friends to appear. 

They didn't. I wondered why and thought, "Maybe I'm not good enough, pretty enough, smart enough...maybe I'm just not enough." 

Then someone told me..."People like you, Tiff. You just need to try." I wondered what it was I was doing this far, if it wasn't trying. I was trying...but not trying...enough. 

I had been in community before. I had been there, told my story, opened up...I had been real and in the end I was hurt. Left broken and wondering where in the world it went wrong. Why would I want to put myself in that place again? 

But I took a leap of faith and began asking people to have coffee with me. What did I find out? People will come hang out with you for coffee...and when you open up and talk, they will too! 

Friendship and community graced the room as we told our stories and saw that God was the center of both, weaved into the fabric of our words. As one hour turned into two, and empty coffee cups sat in front of us I knew that meeting for coffee this once was just not...enough. 

I anticipate more conversations over coffee, more smiles and laughter, more nods across the table as Sisters in Christ understand the detours that we have taken on our journeys. 

Community may not be easy. It may feel scary at first and you may be nervous and unsure if you are enough. It may mean getting past a hurt. 

 But keep going. 

 It's always worth it. 

 Stop.

Thanks for spending five minutes with me today!  For more on Community, visit the gypsy mama.