hello again. as my emotions are all over the place lately and I didn't want to leave you for too long with a semi-depressing post, I am posting again. today I am happy. :)
no matter how many time I say it (and I do realize that I say it a lot), I simply cannot reiterate enough how incredibly special my worship team is to me. I was on worship this weekend, and that is mostly why I am happy. actually, I was at the church pretty much all weekend long, because today was our second annual Rite of Passage ceremony..........something we started last year; I could take a long time to explain it but in a nutshell it is our church recognizing that the concept of being a "teenager" is an unhealthy, manmade thing, and that biblically children are called into adulthood once they are physically capable of reproducing life, and at that point we should start treating them like adults a bit at a time, and helping them mature. It's something we are doing to counteract the trend of youth being occupuyed all the time with youth programs but never really developing roots within the church - which is why so many people leave after they graduate. So the whole weekend was a lot of teaching about what it means to start acting like an adult, and what the older adults can change in their behavior toward "youth," and tonight was the ceremony, which is basically just a big celebration for teenagers who decide to step from this weird childhood phase into adulthood. I went through it last year with about thirty other kids, as it was the first year we did it. Tonight there were about ten who did it. It was just magical, watching my family (my church family) come around these people - watching this living thing that is the church become just a bit more intergenerational as we intentionally decide to expect more from my generation. It was magical watching adults who have for years been just annoyed by teenagers, giving these "kids" hugs and commiting to come alongside them as friends - to actually be interested in my struggles and my triumphs, and my walk with the Lord. It was a fabulous weekend. When I'm with my church family, hugs are abundant and the love is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
I can't say enough how incredibly grateful I am for my worship team, my pastor, our women's pastor, and so many other individuals who have decided to love me and take an interest in me, even (and especially) at times when I've been so immature, so unlovable, and even closed to new relationships. I've just been looking back at the last four years since we started going to this church, and how much I have healed and grown since that time because of God's work through the people who have decided to surround me, be there for me, and help me along in this thing we call life.
So yes, despite school being crazy, and work still having issues, and family things continuing to be messy, and all the other random stuff sneaking up and attacking me all at once - today I am happy. And I am loved, by God and by His people. :)
I'm so happy for you!!
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