Determined to Thrive
At lunch with a friend last week, I was greeted with, “So, how did it go?” A thousand situations ran threw my mind while she clued me in. She wanted to know how my daughter’s trip went. In an earlier blog, I referenced her heading away on a bus full of strangers. If you have an ounce of introvert in you, the image is a sobering one.My daughter could teach us a lot. Rewinding back to last spring, she left a school we loved and respected simply because she knew she wanted more, even though “more” would cost her a very valuable comfort zone. She had great friends and great teachers. If I were in her shoes, I would have just stayed put. Her previous school was amazing, but small. At one point, she urged us to allow her to consider a move because she felt like she hadn’t needed to make any friends in such a small school, and she feared that, if she continued for four more years, she would regret not strengthening those relational skills once she entered college and beyond.After much prayer and conversation, we decided that we would allow her to attend another school. There’s no sugarcoating the reality that change is hard and relationships take time. Annika decided to take up the sport of lacrosse to get to know some girls. Countless hours of practice and conditioning have been spent and the season has not even officially started yet. Have the friendships come automatically? No, but each day she is taking a risk and putting herself out there. She has friends, but she desires more. She’s beginning to see some fruit, but she knows it requires time.When we picked Annika up from her long weekend away, she was so grateful she had gone. She commented, “I’m really glad I went. I didn’t make a best friend or anything, but I got to know 15 other girls and they got to know me.”The feelings that stir in a high school freshman girl are honestly not much different from the emotions that swirl in a grown woman. We all want to feel accepted. We want to be wanted and included. As I consider Annika’s journey, I’m reminded that, like most things in life, relationships are also subject to the law of the harvest. We generally reap what we sow. Annika is hopeful for a full harvest soon. I am trusting the Lord to do what only He can do, but am encouraged because she is being intentional to sow many seeds. The camp and lacrosse were intentional choices she made because she was determined to push herself outside of her comfort zone so she could yield the result she desired: genuine community.Whether it’s jumping into a bible study, attending a women’s conference, or reaching out to an acquaintance and making an intentional investment of your time, I urge you to follow a freshman. Will some connections fall on rocky soil? Yes, but if we continue to sow and take relational risks and invest in people, we are putting ourselves in a place where God can give us the connection we all need and desire. The riskiest decision is not taking a risk.P.S. This is posted with permission from the most amazing young woman I know. twitter | facebook