Retreat
This past weekend we drove 2 hours north to Delavan, Wisconsin and spent 2 lovely days with our church family. It’s amazing how much more complicated things become with a baby. I was constantly trying to match up Ze’s naptime with when we would be in the car, so that he would sleep instead of scream during our traveling times. Our church has had a huge baby boom in the past year, with at least one baby born each month, and this in a church of about 150. So there were lots of other parents chasing 2 year olds or bouncing babies during our gathering times.
Since Ze was born, going to church has been an entirely different experience for me. On the one hand, it has been fantastic getting to know the other parents in our church and learning from them. On the other hand, I have had to rethink what worship means to me, as it is almost impossible to connect individually with God and really focus completely during the service. Usually I’m standing near all the kids who are jumping and running during the music time. I have learned so much about joy watching them sing and clap their hands and about loving others, as I see them grabbing each other’s hands and forming little circles. I’m learning what it means to come to worship God as a corporate, rather than personal, experience.
So the retreat wasn’t exactly a restful time but it was an inspiring and encouraging time. I left Wisconsin feeling more committed to building relationships with people in my church. The city can be such a busy place that real community is difficult to grasp. It’s simply hard to travel through crazy traffic, long waits for buses, and no parking spaces to meet up with other people. Add kids and their different nap and bed times to the mix and life can become so isolated. But I’m making more of an effort to build those connections and find a way to have a strong community in the city. Right now that means sending lots of emails, making lots of phone calls, taking meals to families with new babies, just getting out to the park and talking to other moms. Some times it’s exhausting and I feel like I’m not keeping Ze on much of a schedule (though thankfully naps are much better!). But when I see my church family growing together and I get to hug lots of people on Sunday morning and pray for them throughout the week, I realize that community takes a lot of work but it is worth the effort.
