Mean Girls

As we were settling into a nice house that will soon transform into our dream home with some minor home improvement projects, I marveled at how perfect the setting is to help our girls build memories that will shape them in so many ways. The house sits at the end of a cul-de-sac with a perfectly sized wooded back yard for a playset and enough room for scrimmaging should our girls learn to love soccer. The house itself is the perfect size with every inch of it being utilized daily. The neighborhood swarms with kids and they could often be seen playing right outside our house. I dreamed of the girls developing life long friendships right here in the neighborhood with ease and sweetness. I dreamed of how our family will model Christ and shine His light so brightly that people will notice and inquire, and by the grace of God, some of them will come to know our Savior. I was not prepared for the complications that would soon follow, however. I wasn't prepared for the Mean Girl scenerio to start so young and that Karis will taste the hurt of rejection and unkindness by a girl she so badly wanted to befriend but was a year or so too young and lacked the social suave and coolness to make the cut. I knew that the cul-de-sac will be significant, but I didn't realize that it would be the stage for a three year old to experience such things as a first broken heart, learning to let go, discerning how to choose friends, learning to forgive and to pray for transformation in self and others and turning to God with rawness of rejection and dashed hopes. She's the youngest amongst her age group of kids on the street and she's still not exactly the sought after girl for a playdate on the street, but its been amazing to see her growing through this experience. As we considered our options in choosing a home, we cared primarily about the kind of people that the girls will know long term. I had in mind something more serene and picturesque... God had in mind something entirely different. We live in a neighborhood that wins those best places to live awards year after year, but its part of the fallen world in need of a Savior. Why did I expect living the Christian life in our new home would be like in a paradise when Jesus modeled something entirely different during His time on earth. I still believe that this is our dream home and that God has a plan for us here, but His ways are not my ways... I'm learning that Karis will learn to become a follower of God not only through the blessings, but also through the trials, heartaches, and pain. I will love my neighbors not only when its easy, but particularly when its difficult. I'm realizing how much more this is in line with the Gospel message and the life that Jesus lived. Why did I expect my life to be so different from that of Jesus'?