Building Relationships

It's about a month since I moved to Alexandria, and it's been a really nice time, for the most part! I feel more settled in now and am slowly learning my way around. I've also learned a lot about myself in this time when I started my new job and moved to a new place. More specifically... I've learned how hard it is to build meaningful and long-lasting relationships.

Now, I know it's only been one month, but sometimes it has been pretty lonely. A lot of the people I've met here are friends of my roommate from her college, and that has been wonderful, but at the same time, I don't know them as well. I've gone to church a few times, and the young adult fellowship once, and it's just felt strange. I know it's the introvert in me - I get kind of overwhelmed in big groups of people - but I can't help but feel a bit lost. Coming from a big school like Michigan and knowing so many faces on campus, it's really been a while since I had to be the "new kid" and put myself out there to really initiate and get to know others. Part of me desires to find community and get really plugged in, but the other part of me is scared and doesn't want to make that effort. I know that God called me here not just for a job - there has to be some other reason as well.

I'm reading the book that Knox was reading together this summer - "Relationships: A Mess Worth Making" by David Lane and Paul Tripp. How fitting, right? :) Anyway, it's been really good thinking about why God calls us to be in community - we need to live life with others and share in the joys and the sorrows with one another.

Even though making the effort scares me a little, I will have to push myself to do better in this area of my life!