I honestly was just afraid to do it.
Afraid of being vulnerable.
Afraid of rejection.
So as God nudged me to start a Bible study, I said, “no thanks.” There had to be another way to build the deeper friendships that I was desperately seeking. Moving from Denver to Colorado Springs made our community just far enough away for all the regular weekdays to be lonely and quiet. An offer of free housing for eight months had been irresistible and had brought us to a city where neither of us knew more than two people.
I remember crawling into my husband’s arms a few months later and just crying. “why couldn’t I find women to do life with? Why couldn’t I seem to make friends anymore?” In college it had felt so easy and now we were in a new city and I felt so alone. I had scoured the church website and it seemed that so many groups were full or weren’t the right fit. Maybe there weren’t any other young women hungry for friendship in our church. Maybe I really was alone.
And the Spirit kept pushing me to start a women’s group. To invite the women in the small group we had joined over for tea and Bible study.
But what if no one came?
What if they DID come and didn’t like it – didn’t like me?
God is persistent in His pursuit and I eventually did it. I set out tea, I made sure everything was perfect, and I waited expectantly – with more nervous sweat than I should probably write about.
Two came.
I was disappointed, delighted, overwhelmed, and probably pretty awkward. But they kept coming – week after week.
Soon we added dinner to our evening because we found richness in having time to visit and connect. We studied the Sermon on the Mount, we studied the armor of God, we studied Thessalonians and James.
Two became five. Five became eight. My sister joined. My mama would help cook as eight became eleven. People invited coworkers and friends. Young married and single women coming to have food for the body and food for the soul. We prayed over each other, cried together, and our families began to grow, too. Soon we were having baby showers, moving parties, meal trains, and passing the babies around as we ate, prayed, and studied. Husbands became friends and started meeting as men on Tuesday nights.
Now there are fifteen women gathering on Tuesday nights. More than I can even fit around my table.
I asked the Lord for women in my life, for friends, and He built our group in ways I never would have chosen apart from Him.
He pursued me, grew me, and blessed my (eventual) obedience.
Are you a woman looking for community? We have lots of new groups for women.
