For those of you that know me personally, you know I love the blog Mundane Faithfulness. God has done so much in my heart through Kara's story. About a month ago, Kara's friend Blythe started a Facebook group for all of us who have come to love Kara's story. I love interacting with other people who want to pursue Jesus even though they're walking their own heartbreak. Kara's new book that she wrote together with her Jill came out this month, and to stay with the book's theme of how to show up for others in their suffering, Blythe has asked everyone in the Mundane Faithfulness community to share their "Just Show Up" stories. I think it's time I share mine...
I've had a lot on my heart recently, but because of my shyness, it's hard for me to share what's going on with anyone. A lot of the people in my life aren't Christians, so I have trouble being open around them since a lot of my struggles have to do with my faith. It's also hard for me to share my heart with anyone at my church because all the other kids are still young; I don't want to burden them.
Even though the kids don't know my struggles, they constantly show up for me. My story has to do with one particular Sunday. All the details are a bit fuzzy since it was a few Sundays ago, but I remember the basics. Because it's hard for me to find venues to share my heart, I tend to keep things bottled up. Everyone reaches a maximum point where they can't keep it in anymore. For me, that's usually during worship because that's when I get the chance to sing out my heart to God. Sometimes I don't have the strength to sing out loud though. When that's the case, I just sit there with tears streaming down my face as my heart quietly sings along to the songs.
That was me the Sunday after I found out that my extended family most likely wouldn't be able to visit like we had originally planned. Having them visit was an event that I had been looking forward to for months, so I was devastated when I found out it wasn't going to happen. There were other burdens on my heart that Sunday, so those only added to my already heavy heart. I think I cried more that Sunday than in any other worship service.
And my friend was there with me the whole time.
She didn't know exactly what I was going through, but she showed up nonetheless and just hugged me through my tears. And for that I am extremely grateful. If you're that friend and you've somehow stumbled across this post, thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You may be 5 years younger than me, but you've showed up for me in a big way that I will never forget. I love you sweet girl.
