Loneliness, Thankfulness, and Perspective

This post may start to sound a little whiny, but stick with me to the end!

God is faithful.  He is good.  He answers prayers.  He provides.  He blesses.  Beyond anything we could ask or imagine.  And yet, we forget.

We have lived away from family for two years now.

I have never been afraid of change.  I went to college 11 hours away from my family at 18 and never regretted it.  I made lifelong friends from different states, countries, and cultures.  I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, went on mission trips, learned that homeschooling can be awesome (and now plan to homeschool my own children), served, lead, learned, gave a speech to my entire graduating class and their families, among many other wonderful experiences.  Did I miss my family?  Of course.  But I had grown to love another family, too.

So, when Chris was offered a job away from our home state, I didn’t hesitate.  “Let’s go!”  I am thankful for that period of newness.  But it always wears off.

It’s a lot harder to make new friends as an adult.  A pregnant, unemployed adult.  So, I started volunteering.  What a gift.

Then we had our precious girl.

So, then it gets harder to make friends, as an adult, staying at home, with a newborn.

We joined a church.  I started going to a mom’s group.  I really, really enjoyed that time with other moms.  But, I have a girl who loves and needs her naps, and I won’t deprive her of that.

Then, we moved to the country (which, by the way, we prayed for, constantly).

It’s a lot, lot harder to make friends as an adult.  With a toddler.  Thirty minutes away from everything and the few friends that I do have.

I’ve always been an extrovert (or a modified extrovert or something… I don’t like crowds, but I need my “people”).  I just never realized how much I need my people.  Chris is my #1, of course, but he’s hard at work providing for our family so that we can reach our goals of getting out of debt and having a farm one day… and he doesn’t like shopping.

Okay, okay, we get it.  Stop complaining!  

Remember the title of this post?  Loneliness… yep, check.  And?  Thankfulness and perspective.  Ahh.

I know that we are where God wants us to be.  So, moving back home is not an option right now.  So, what’s the best way to change my perspective?  Be thankful.  Thank God for all that He has done, the prayers He has already answered.  Ask Him to show me where He is working and what He has for me… because He has something for me.  He is always working.  I don’t know what it is just yet.  And a lot of it is being a wife and a mama whose joy is in the Lord and not in her circumstances (which by the way, aren’t too shabby).

Being thankful will always change your perspective.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17

Practically speaking, baby girl’s naps are shifting and I am starting a new women’s Bible study in September that I am desperately looking forward to.  And I am praying for God to bring new women into my life to serve as a surrogate family.  He is faithful.  He always provides.  He may not provide the way I expect Him to, but that’s okay.  I think of the Apostle Paul, Corrie ten Boom, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer…  all captives for Jesus, and all with an incredible amount of faith and courage and they weren’t whining on their little blog about it.  But, here I am, being honest!

Be thankful, friends!