I feel like this month has completely flown by. I feel like the month of August took forever to get over with, and I can't seem to remember where my time went this month.
Nevertheless, this month is nearly over, and I am encouraged to find that Topeka is starting to feel more like home. It's by no means home yet, but I'm starting to get more acquainted with the city itself, and even some of the people who live here.
I have loved the people who have taken the time to get to know me, and who have spent time with me, but many people in Topeka are hard to get to know. It's not that I mean to speak bad of the people here, but most of them are very settled into their routine and their own friend group. I'm sure that I was the same way when I was living in Tallahassee, or Lakeland with my friends. But, if I'm learning anything while I've stayed here, it's that I'm learning about the kind of friend I want to become when I go home.
Many of the people in Topeka have lived here there whole lives, and their parents and family still live here as well. This makes it difficult for someone to come in from a place like Florida and try to pry my way into a circle of people who have grown up together, attended each other's weddings, and had their kids grow up together. So, when I visit a new church as a prospective regular attender, many people will politely introduce themselves, and even be surprised when I say that I just moved up from Florida, but rarely does someone take the time to invite me to sit with them, or get to know me. The times this has happened have become even more sweet, and refreshing than they ever could have without feeling such disconnect between myself and the people around me.*
But through this experience I'm learning about the kind of friend I want to become. When I find a church here, and even when I return home, I never want someone to walk into the doors of the church and feel unwanted. The church shouldn't be a place where someone comes in and feels like they have to offer something to be accepted, or even know people to be accepted. We (myself included) should always be welcoming and inviting to newcomers, even if it forces an awkward moment, or is an inconvenience. I never want to sit idly by at a church full of my friends while someone feels alone, or isolated at the same church. I would encourage you as your weeks goes on, in your jobs, churches, campus ministries, and everyday lives to reach out to those who are alone. You never know how God will use you for saying a few passing words, or introducing yourself to someone who looks lost, or looks as if they just need a friend. Jesus would have acted the same way, and I feel like it's something I will forever be continuing to work on as I strive to find his will for my life and become more like him.
I want to be a better friend, to be used by Jesus more, please hold me to this if you check up on me, and lift me up in prayer to be a better friend.
John3:30
-Daniel
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