Invited to Fellowship

I am a shy person by nature: quiet, reserved. I tend to get lost in a crowd, but there I was, attending a church with a very large congregation - several hundred attending services on Sunday mornings. I was feeling "apart from" in a place I wanted to feel "a part of".

So, one day, I risked it - I verbalized this to God: "Lord, help me to be connected here".

Not long after that, picking up my children from their Sunday School classroom, one of the other mothers turned to me. "We're starting a new bible study - It's a wonderful group of women. We'll be studying Beth Moore. We meet on Friday mornings. There's childcare. I'd love for you to join us!"

I didn't know what to say - I didn't know this woman. I didn't *do* bible studies. Beth who? Oh, God.... help me! I finally managed to find the words to let her know that I didn't think Fridays would work for me. "Too bad," she said. "I'll ask again..." (Oh, I'm sure you will....maybe I can avoid you...)

Several weeks went past. I continued to feel disconnected and lost in the sea of faces. I risked again: "Lord, I really want to be connected here. I'm not sure I'll continue to make the effort to be here, if I'm not connected". Not an hour later... she asked again...

I really hope my jaw didn't drop when she invited me to join them - but I'm sure it did. I had just been shown (AGAIN) the answer to my prayer. Now, it was up to me. Would I choose to accept her offer... HIS offer. I just nodded - "what time?"