Just Manda

Do you ever have a hard time opening up to people? A hard time sharing your feelings or expressing them in the right way?

I used to always be scared and timid when I first meet someone. I love meeting new people but there’s just something about that is just so terrifying to me.

For so many years and through so many friendships, I’ve always been the quiet one. I’ve always been the listener.

Throughout the friendships that I’ve been blessed with all throughout my life, I’ve always been the person that people have always been able to open up to. Honestly, I loveeeeeee being this person for so many people, it’s basically apart of what makes me….me.  They come to me and share the latest boy news, or the latest career choice, or the new find, just anything and I love it!

I’ve just come to realize over the years though, I don’t really share a lot about me. Maybe that’s okay to my friends, I’ve always been fine with it.

But I was sitting down the other day with one of the friends I met recently and we were getting to know each other and what similarities we had and what not. I asked her a question and after she was done, she simply asked “what about you?”

It wasn’t the kind of “what about you?” that you just simply ask to be kind to figure out the same thing about the other person. It was genuine, like she really did want to hear the next story or memory that was going to come out of my mouth, and would be listening fully.

Sometimes it’s so much easier for me to not talk about things and go into my little turtle shell (my room) and not want to come out. It’s easier in there ya know. Then God said this to me….

“Do you think I want all your thoughts and things in your mind to be kept to yourself? Why would I put 7 billion people on this earth and want you to keep every thought in your mind to yourself?”

Hmm..yeah good point. You got me there.

He wants us to share life with each other. Share moments. Share experiences. Grow together. We are meant to do life together. That’s why God made things like friendships and relationships and families.

We as a generation need people. We are not made to do life by ourselves.

Reach out to a friend and ask for some encouragement if you’re struggling with something. Just recently God also laid something on my heart, that he wants me to really be invested with my friendships and make sure they really know that I’m there. So he mentioned that I should start praying for them each day. I love doing it. It reallly does feel like you’re that much closer with the person even if you aren’t with them everyday.

No one wants to face this tough thing that we call life alone, and no one deserves to.

So go reach out to a friend that you haven’t talked to in a while and see what’s up with them. Reconnect with them. Pray for them, pray with them.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; if either of them falls down, one can help the other up….” Ecclesisastes 4:9-10

Have a coffee date with someone and share all the stories you can think of and have them do the same. You’ll be surprised at how happy it’ll make you. You’ll leave with a smile on your face, a happy heart, and full of coffee.

Xoxo,

Manda