Sharing Space

I'm an introvert. Being around groups of people is absolutely exhausting to me. By the time all is said and done I am ready to collapse in a pile on the couch under a blanket, book and coffee optional but definitely welcomed. Sunday mornings at church are usually enough to exhaust me, especially Sunday mornings that I preach like yesterday, and we rarely schedule youth activities on Sundays. But with most of our teens starting school this week and next, we decided to do a cookout.

Simple and uncomplicated, nothing fancy, just hot dogs and chips at our house. That is where community happens though. When you invite people into your home. I'm not talking about inviting them into your house where you proceed to clean every inch and make sure nothing is out of place, no cobwebs, no dust, everything perfectly placed and looking like no one lives there. I mean inviting them into your home. Where toys are laying on the floor and blankets are unfolded. Where all the DVD's are not neatly stacked and in their proper cases. Where there are cheerios on the floor and a few dirty dishes in the sink. Where you can be real and honest and open. Where people feel comfortable and are vulnerable. That is sharing space, that is being in community. That's when people open up and share their hearts. That's when they know you care and are for real.

I remember one time when we were in California the church had thrown a baby shower for me and the teen girls had taken the stuff over to or house. By the time I got there they had made themselves at home in my living room and where watching television and had gotten quite comfortable. It made me smile that they had felt so comfortable they felt like they could just hang out and stay awhile.

So, while I am an introvert and desperately desire my own space, there are joys in ministry when you get to share space with others.