This morning, I was able to reunite with the church that brought me back to my faith in God and what He and His Son have done for me. One of the biggest pros for this move was to be back at the church where I reunited with the One who saved me.
Ten years ago, I moved to San Diego to attend graduate school. The whole idea to move to San Diego came about the day I quit a pyramid-scheme purfume-selling job and was free for the afternoon. My dad called and asked if I wanted to have lunch with my step-mom, my uncle (whose birthday we would be celebrating), my aunt, and him. Since I didn't need to work that afternoon, I agreed to meet them at the Cheesecake Factory.
During the course of the meal, I voiced concerns about having to travel about 30 miles to attend each of my courses, since there were only three campuses in the area where I was currently living, and each different campus for the school only offered some of the courses that I needed. After I mentioned that it would be easier if I lived in San Diego, since there were fourteen campuses in San Diego that were relatively close to one another, my aunt and uncle (who had just moved to San Diego a year before) said that I should move in with them.
A week later, I was a resident of San Diego. Since I didn't have a job, my aunt and uncle did not ask for rent, but instead asked that I would help with their activities at the church. Little did I know that, with the time I spent helping the church, I received more than what I gave.
Within the first few weeks of getting to know people at the church, my uncle invited me to go to a Tuesday-evening Bible study at the beach. The group sat by a bonfire and each individual had the opportunity to share ideas about his/her developing faith. Those evenings were one of the highlights of my week. I got to know people, not only on a personal level, but on a much deeper level due to the topics that we discussed. The topics weren't your typical polite, dinner conversations, where everyone avoided discussing things that were potentially offensive. On occassion, we offended each other, but every new week and new bonfire brought with it a clean slate.
Our group's ability to forgive and forget could be because we didn't only spend Tuesday evenings together. We also spent Friday evenings, Saturdays (usually the whole day, since it was the Sabbath), and sometimes Sundays at Disneyland together. We became a family- the way that people in church should be (in my humble opinion, of course). Just like families, we had our ups and downs, and just like a family should, they lovingly revealed to me that there were things in my life that needed to change. If they allowed me to continue with some of my behaviors, telling me that what I was doing to my mind, my body, and my psyche was ok, they really wouldn't have shown love for me. I don't even want to imagine what I might have experienced that would have damaged me even more than I already was, had I not had the influence of that church family.
With many unnecessary details left unsaid in this post, I will just say that, thankfully, I listened to them. If they were to have approached me with judgement or disdain, I most likely would have retracted and continued my behaviors. However, they helped me see how incredibly valued I was, not just to them, but also to God. They showed me a love that overpowered the desire to be something I wasn't for the sake of getting attention from those who really didn't care about me. They moved the towering mountains of regret, greed, envy, and shame that shadowed me during that time of my life. Whether they knew it or not, they revealed God's love for me through their actions and their words.
Now, ten years later, I am among those loving people again. This time, I have a deeper appreciation for who they are and what they did for me. It is interesting that certain people in my life have influenced me with trying to plant various types of seeds in my heart. Some were good for me, some were not. However, being back at this church has reminded me of what was planted in my heart ten years ago.
My church family spread seeds of encouragement, redirection, and love. Some of the seeds became beautiful plants to admire, and other seeds nourished the hunger of this sparrow. I look forward to having opportunities to nurture others through spreading the same seeds of encouragement, redirection, and love.
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