the table

I sat with my stomach and heart full. I looked around the table at these 5 amazing women and knew that they had changed my heart and my life for the better. We had shared the past 10 months of our lives together. We have been there through heart breaks, new houses, new relationships, and even sending a friend off to another state as she started a new adventure with her husband. There has been a steady stream of new fresh faces but there was a solid group of 7 throughout these past months. We have shared so many stories, laughs, phenomenal food and even some tears. We have encouraged and challenged each other as we read through scripture together.


This past week was our final week together. We spent the entire time catching up, laughing over memories and planning activities for the summer. I am going to miss my Thursday nights around that table. I've learned a lot these past 10 months and this past week we got the chance to sit down and reflect and then share with each other things we have learned and, to go with the past sermon on Sunday, to think of a word that describes our season we are in or heading into as we start summer.

I have learned a lot about grace these past few months. As we read and studied through Galatians as a group Paul talks a lot about grace. I have always known grace as a Christian term but when I finally sat down and thought through it I realized I did not fully understand what grace truly was.

It is hard for me to accept something without feeling the need to do something back or something to earn that gift. That is what makes grace so hard to comprehend. It was given to me and I don't have to do anything to earn it or lose it. Grace was shown to me through those women week after week. I am going to miss sitting around that table and seeing them week after week. I know that God brought me to that group for a reason and I am excited to see where He takes our friendships in the future.