Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Beautiful, awesome place, would love to go hear again.
Thursday, 3 May 2012
Moaning.
I’m having a moan, sorry. I feel the positive me is fighting the negative me at the moment. I’m hoping I’m not being too specific. I don’t think I’ve written anything that will offend any of my friends that read this. I can’t actually remember these day who knows about my blog and who doesn’t. And of those that know I don’t know if they actually read it.
The negative me… A church worker is bugging me. She’ll moan that she did all of Sunday school herself. Yet surely she should delegate and give us parts of the programme and jobs to do, not just do it all herself. Surely we shouldn’t have to ask for parts of the Sunday school programme to do?! And I think I annoyed her last Tuesday, I didn’t mean to. I went to pick Nic up, then she’d forgotten her purse and hadn’t had any breakfast. So I popped back in for my purse and went to buy her a sandwich. She didn’t know where the sandwich shop was so I had to go with her. From her perspective I should have been helping with toddler group, it was busy and I disappeared. From my perspective, I’ve been trying to get Nic to go to Talk it over (Crisis Pregnancy Support) for weeks, so if that meant missing toddler group and buying her a sandwich, that’s fine by me! I didn’t plan it that way, it just kind of happened!
Then on Tuesday, 2 ladies were talking and I was sat with them. One told the other about a surprise leaving do for someone and invited her. But never said anything to me about being invited, am I not friends with this person too? Then one asked other if she would consider running the parenting course with her at some point next year. Yet again I am not included in this conversation at all or asked if I want to help, or do the course or run crèche again. Sorry, just bugs me.
Then today at church I had no one to talk to. There were people around but no one I felt I could just go and join in their conversation or sit with them without them looking at me as if to say what do you want etc. I’m not mentioning any names, but the usual people. I hate feeling like this at church. I know it’s partly me being paranoid and over sensitive, but it’s also other people’s attitudes as well. Sorry I know I am stuck record on certain subjects, but I need to vent!
I’ve been going to First Steps Derbyshire (FSD, eating disorders (ED) charity) for 2 months now. Some things have been a real eye opener. I have a whole new vocabulary with which to talk about eating disorders! I realise that when I was at my most ill with my ED, I wasn’t half as ill as a lot of people who access the support of the charity. Even the thought of being an in-patient on an eating disorders unit in hospital scares me even now!
Everyone is so lovely, none judgemental and friendly at FSD. I’ve met loads of lovely people, made some friends, heard some amazing stories of recovery and scary stories of people being ill. When I first went people were friendly, I didn’t feel judged on my appearance, and I was welcomed. I can’t help but think and wish that church should be like that. I FEEL judged on my appearance at church but I KNOW this is mostly me being oversensitive and paranoid, but I also know there’s a little bit of truth in it even though I exaggerate things in my head.
I don’t want to paint church in a negative light, especially to a new friend who thinking of coming to check it out. There are things I love about church and things that bug me. The things that bug me are above and the main thing is the general clickiness of the 18 – 30’s. The things I love about church are meeting with God, the great worship, the band, the pastors, the teaching, the friendship and the support.
For example I went to one of the smaller churches last month and we were praying at the end. I was in a group praying with some ladies from my house group and felt really blessed to be friends and have the support of these women of God. Yet most of these women are old enough to be my mum. I do kind of wish I had this support and level of friendship from people my own age in church as well. Well I do but just from a smaller number of closer friends. My age group in church are generally not so open or approachable.
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(hug) As an outsider and occasional visitor, I agree. And that is sad.
ReplyDeleteAs sad as being one of two 18-30 women at my own church - the other being Em! What is going wrong?!
Lord, bring healing and renewal to our churches and ourselves. Help us reflect you and seek you first, and bring us collectively into real community. Break down our comfortable little clubs and let strangers see you in us and be drawn in. Change me. Change my church. Amen!
Hi. Thanks for your comments and prayer. H x
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