reflections, blogging, community

Last night, I came home from work and hopped in the shower. Waves of thoughts crashed through my head, mainly about blogging, my current life circumstances, and community. It dawned on me that as a new chapter of my life has opened (marriage, full-time work) that another one has closed (my flexible schedule).

No longer can I nap between classes, grab coffee with someone while the sun is still out, or meet with people anytime I want. Gladly, I now work full-time, but that also has its cons. Essentially, the way I previously experienced community has evolved into something new and different.

To begin, my "free" time reduced from about 10 hrs/day to at the most 5 hrs/day. And, although this time is not clouded with the looming task of homework, I now have a husband that I want to care for and nurture during these short hours. When I used to have tons of time, I could balance hanging out with Matt, meeting with friends and Shoregirls, school, and ministry. Quite compartmental and conducive to what best suited my schedule.

Now, as a wife, I have learned that Matt and I can still spend quality time together (date night!) while also figuring out how to minister to people together. The biggest way this occurs is through opening our home to friends, family, and even strangers (Naama!). Where I don't get as much of that prized alone time as before, I now am blessed to have a husband to care for and a home to welcome community into.

Although I am available most lunches during the week, this new pattern of life means that I am unable to meet with women as much as before. I hope to learn how I can do this more while balancing the other elements of my life. This is where blogging comes in.

Maybe my work life is just temporarily easy, but I have (in total) a couple hours each day that I spend web surfing, blogging, and reading interesting literature online. Where previously I was able to meet with people in person, I am now restricted to my computer all day. But, we can still "meet" through my blog!

I am hoping that as I blog, people may get to know me or at least read what God is doing in my life. This sounds like a new method of community; although I prefer meeting face-to-face, I am unable to do that like I once could. So, here I am... in blog form!

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)