When I was a young mom, I walked into a small group at a new church and saw women there from ages 20 to 80 years old. I have to say that freaked me out a little bit. What did I have in common with younger girls and older women? (Small groups are defined as groups of three or more people who have a common goal in mind. In churches, small groups are made up of those who want to grow their faith and make deeper connections with their church family.)
I was hoping to make new friends who were in the same phase of life as I was and I didn’t see anyone who fit that bill. I was tempted to walk right back out the door.
Can I tell you that I’m so glad I didn’t?
The things I learned from those women have stuck with me through all these years.
The young women taught me that there is so much more beneath the surface of a person. From the outside they seemed confident and like they had it all together. But, when they shared, they spoke of all their fears. Would they be able to get a job that paid enough to support them? Where would they live? Would they ever meet their soulmate? They reminded me of all the uncertainties when you’re just starting out. And, they taught me the importance of faith when you are facing all those fears at once.
At one meeting, I shared how vulnerable I felt because I loved my small kids so much. I told the women that I would sneak into my kids’ bedrooms at night and pray over their sweet little sleeping bodies. A mom of teens then shared how that vulnerable feeling never goes away and how she would go into the empty rooms of her teens to pray they would make it home safely when they were out late. I remembered her advice when my own kids were teens and I prayed in their empty rooms.
An elderly lady spoke about the insomnia that hits when you are old. I’ll never forget how sweetly she talked about the long, dark hours in the middle of the night and how she decided never to view them as a curse but rather to think of them as her special alone time with God. I’m the elderly one now and I remember her words when I face insomnia. I smile in the darkness at her memory as I prepare to visit with my Father.
Yes, it would have been nice to meet other young moms back then, but the lessons I learned from my multi-aged friends were priceless and I have never forgotten them.
God knew exactly what I was walking into that day so long ago and I think he smiled at the thought of my prejudice and the beautiful lessons I would learn in spite of it.
Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
