Our group has been meeting for over a year now, so there is enough trust in place for us to be able to share some of the deeper issues of our hearts with one another. It has truly been a privilege to hear what how the past has shaped each one of us. Every week after small group is over, Hubs and I comment to each other how hearing someone's story gives such a broader context to understanding who they have become.
Tonight, we heard the last two of the eight of us share. And the thing that has struck me the most is how each one of us has so much going on just below the surface. I'm talking about major, life-shaping things that have taken place over the course of our lives that have had a deep emotional impact on who we are. Both joyful and painful things that have formed us into the people that we are. And if that is true of the eight of us, it is true of each of us walking around on God's green earth.
So much bubbling around just beneath the surface that we rarely let others see.
I feel so privileged to have been allowed to see what's lurking underneath the wrapping paper of these dear souls in our small group, and I'm grateful to have seven people in my life that are trustworthy enough to peer into the inner-workings of my heart, and continue to love, encourage, support and pray for me.
6 comments:
I'm not going to articulate this well, I know, but I'm always amazed at the full and rich lives that people have, that I know nothing about...it's like walking down a street, wondering what is going on behind all of those doors...some cozy dinners, some fights, some loneliness, some singing and joy, etc. People are like that too, and it's interesting to think that the only experience you can TRULY know is your own, and those of others can only be like the shadows on the wall of Plato's cave.
Great post sweetie. It reminds me of a comment that one of my professors made while I was in grad school. She said that if people walked around "with their insides showing on the outside" we would treat each other with a lot more sympathy and compassion. Their truly is so much going on just beneath the surface.
You are so fortunate to have a small group like that. I'm finding that it's so hard to find people willing to invest the time to be real with as a couple with others.
My hubby and I really feel the need for small group learning/sharing. It is in these more comfortable settings that I believe we mimic the early church setting.
Glad you have such a great group to share your walk with.
You will be close with these people forever, now that you know their true "stories"... I think it is a wonderful way to share and understand. It is true, we know so little about those around us. A chance for deeper understanding = more patience and tolerance in the world in general.
It's a beautiful thing to have that inner circle to share everything with. I'm blessed in having that in my life. I'm glad you have it in yours.
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