New Friends To Enjoy Lunch With

Do you have a certain place you just have to sit in church? Of course you do. We all do. Our church has two Sunday morning services. James and I prefer the first service and we have a row we prefer. There are rare occasions when we attend the second service and we have yet another seat preference for that service. We had invited some friends and family to go to church with us yesterday and felt the timing of the second service would be best, though none of those invited actually attended.

We make our way into the sanctuary only to find that none of "our seats' are available. We are in the wrong service and our seats are taken. We make our way into the stadium seating on the WRONG side of the church. James looked at me and said, "I think these people worship over here like we do over there." A friend spotted us and said he didn't recognize sitting where we were. We sit for a few minutes and then spot a couple in our Connection Group. They sit down on the left side close to the front. I noticed no one was sitting by them. James and I joined them.

Because we were in a different place we talked to different people. What a thought! Mix it up -- move around -- meet more people! We also went to a different place to eat after church. We decided to try something new again. As we were walking into the restaurant we saw the same couple we had sat with in church. We had lunch with them and another couple in our Connection Group. Hmmmmm! What a coincidence. Maybe/Maybe not. We had a wonderful lunch together. We had such a great time laughing and sharing with each other. I just felt good all day.

We get into such ruts in our lives and miss out on people that are right under our noses. People who can pour into our lives and we miss them because we have to sit in the same spot. I believe God is calling me out of my spot and out of my comfort zone.

Each day we face an opportunity for change and we look it straight on and refuse to accept the challenge because it is different. No one likes change at first. We say our steps are ordered by God and yet we stand firm in tradition and "the way we've always done it". Some changes are simple and some require a lot of prayer. Sometimes changing seats is hard but the change turns out to be a blessing.

Let's just try something over the next couple of weeks. Here's a few suggestions: Drive a different path, sit in a different seat, choose a new store to frequent, talk to people you have never talked to, sing Alto instead of Soprano, try a new radio station, watch a TV show you have never watched, listen to a new Artist, visit an Art Gallery, write with the wrong hand, move your mouse pad to the other side . . . do something different. Get out of your comfort zone. You may find you have some hidden talents and giftings. You may find new friends to enjoy lunch with.