Several years ago, I was asked to work on a project with some other women at my new church. When I walked in, I went to the area where most of the women were, they were all laughing and talking among themselves. I don't know whether they noticed me or not, but no one looked at me or even acknowledged that I was there. I waited for several minutes before I tried to make eye contact with anyone I could and seize the opportunity to speak to someone. No one made eye contact and no one in that area ever spoke to me or invited me into the group. This was not the first time I found myself in this type of situation, not just with these women at this church, but with women in general, only this time God showed me something I had not realized before. He showed me how much better we would be if we worked together. How we didn't know what we were missing out on by not inviting someone else in. These women all knew each other and trusted each other they had worked together for years. They didn't know me. They didn't know whether or not I could be trusted, they didn't know if I was really there to do what I had come to do or if I was likable or not, but they didn't give me a chance. I have heard that trust is earned, but you don't know if you can trust a person unless you give them a chance. As women, we usually look at someone and make opinions about them based on how they look or how they are dressed. We make assumptions based on our past experiences with someone similar. If I had been given a chance, they would have found that I could be trusted, that I was there to do what I had been asked to do and that I just wanted to be a part of the group. I eventually found the one person I knew and did what I came there to do. I also went on to work with some of those women, but the experience that day taught me a very valuable lesson--we are better together. We don't know what we are missing out on by not inviting someone in, or by not being open to someone new. What could God do through us if we learned to work together? I'm still learning how to do this I have not quite mastered letting new people in or making sure no one is left out. I'm also learning how to be open to being in new spaces and not let these types of experiences keep me from embracing new people and new opportunities. My prayer is that we will all learn how to be Better Together!
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