My Friends and I

I am a very social person, and I have always loved being around people. Although I'm shy, I flourish among friends. I always saw my friends at church, plus every once in a while we would get together. But as I got a little older, into my early teens, I wished that I could see friends more, and began to be unhappy sometimes because it seemed like they all saw each other more than I did. Last year, my church grew so much that we could no longer all fit in our building. So we switched to two church services every Sunday morning, one at 8:30 and one at 10:30. I was slightly unhappy, because I was worried that one of my friends would end up going to the first service. Of course, since I'm the oldest of six kids, it never occured to me that we would be able to get out of the house by 8:10. :) But my parents realized that my little sister needed to be home earlier than 12:30 so that she could eat lunch and get her nap, so we ended up going to the first service. Well, I was very sad about this, and it took me a long time to really cope with this. But I knew God wanted me to obey my parents in everything, and He helped me to be joyful and go without sorrow. But this summer I've been feeling really lonely again. My friends and a lot of the older teenagers go play volleyball all Sunday afternoon, after talking for an hour or so after second service. I am not able to go, because it is difficult for my parents to drive me there and then get back in time to make dinner and prepare for Bible study at our house at 6:30. Plus, we live in the country so there is no one who lives nearby who could take me with them. So I've been unhappy and even jealous sometimes this summer. But the other day I was talking to my Mom about how I feel and how hard it is for me, and she showed me that I am really being discontent. God told me to "Be content with what you have, for God has said 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'" I wasn't doing that. I was spending my time wishing that I could do that, and not realizing how God has blessed me with so many wonderful friends and a wonderful family. I had been bemoaning the fact that I only see a lot of my friends once a week, and then for only about a half an hour or less, while not realizing that, while most girls only have one really good friend, I have about ten!! I have so many blessings, yet I didn't even think about them in my complaining. Now, I still think it would be lots of fun to go to volleyball, and there have been several suggestions as to how I might be able to go one of these Sundays. But I try to be happy and content. Even writing this has led me to realize that I have more blessings that I ever knew. With God's help, I will be joyful and content, and remember everything he has given me. So maybe you have an area of you life where you are discontent, even if you don't realize it. I would encourage you to go and "count your blessings. Name them one by one...See what God has done." You'll be surprised at how much God has given you, and how much you really have to thank him for. He used this to show me my fault, and to show me my blessings. Go count your blessings in the midst of you hardships today.

~Lucy~