The time when God found friends for me

One of the hardest things that I've had to work through recently was moving here to Kentucky from another state. Because it actually isn't hard for me to be alone, so in the past 5 years, I haven't been too terribly motivated to get out there and get connected to my new community.

See the thing is, I've got amazing friends. They're just not here; they're back in Florida. And for my introverted self, that's really not a problem because I prefer being home rather than being out somewhere all the time. This has gotten "worse" since having kids. There's three of them now, and everywhere I go I feel like a spectacle. Loud, drawing attention, and unable to go unnoticed. And remember from this post that being unnoticed is inherently my happy place.

Add to this, that I am super patient (read = procrastinator) when it comes to these types of things. I figured that I'd naturally be able to get to know mamas at Bible studies and things for the kids at church. No biggie.

Then 5 years later.... I still wasn't feeling connected. But there are times when I would really love to have a group of friends here, because introverts really do love people, I promise. And Florida no longer felt like home, but because I hadn't found my place here, Kentucky didn't feel like home either.

I kind of had a little introvert breakdown. Caught between needing to feel connected, but struggling with the fact that my usual ways of making that happen had not worked. I let the devil get a foothold in my mind and was questioning whether I'd ever feel like Kentucky was home, whether I would ever find close friends here like I had back home, and doubted if I was even capable of making new friends.

It was at that point back in February of this year, when I finally gave this all to God and asked Him to intervene. I distinctly heard Him say "Great! Now that's you're done, let me get to work."

That very night He led me to my answer. And the very next day, I started a class for people who had moved to Louisville from somewhere else, at my now-home-church. God is awesome.

I had tried two other churches over the course of our 5 years here (I really did give them each a fair shot and tried not to rush God) but was unsuccessful at getting connected.

And all along it was because I was supposed to be at Southeast Christian.

In a matter of mere weeks I was able to naturally get to know people, slowly, the way I always have. I got whole & healed and now have a solid (albeit small, that's how I like it) group of friends who I love to the moon and back.

I added this most recent journey to the list I keep in my Notes app of "God-things" - things that remind me that God has my back every time, and all I have to do is trust Him. Not question myself, not question how He put me together. Just rest in the fact that He knows every inch of my introverted self, and He will lead me every step of the way.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5

Emily, a gift from God and one of my dearest friends from Southeast, my home church.