Season 4 Premiere
Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set. - Exodus 17:11-12
Real Talk - In the first 15 to 30 minutes of any backpacking trip or extensive hike, I want to quit. My body starts telling my brain – “this isn’t going to work… why are we doing this… turn around now.”
For a long time, I thought “beating” this meant getting strong enough that I wouldn’t feel that way. And while that certainly wouldn’t hurt, I’ve learned that beating this is actually wanting to quit and going on anyways.
I have shared this with the group that I often go on these adventures with so they know that at some point I might need their help to not quit.
Once I’m past that initial reaction of my body telling my brain “we don’t actually have to be doing this, let’s turn around” … I’m fine. And by fine, I mean it’s still hard and I still wish I was in better shape, but I no longer have a strong temptation to head back to the car or campsite.
And I’ve never once regretted not quitting.
I am so thankful that God puts people in my life that walk with me and help me not quit. Not just in hiking, but in all the hard, “I could just quit” moments of life – my community reminds me that I can do it, reminds me that I’m not alone, and – just as Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms - they show up in big and small ways to help me put one foot in front of the other when I need that. The gift of community is yet another story of God’s Grace in my life.
The Foundry is starting off our 4th season of Community Nights on February 7th. This gathering for young adults will meet every other Tuesday (6:30pm) at University UMC for dinner and time together in community.
What does me wanting to quit have to do with The Foundry?
One - A prayer from the beginning has been that this ministry of young adults would provide a place for each other to belong and that through our time together community would be formed so that no one is without that band of people to walk with, celebrate with, mourn with, and do the difficult parts of life with.
And two - this season will center on people sharing stories from their own lives as we reflect on how God’s grace is at work in all of our lives, just like the people in my life who keep me moving when I’m tempted to give up on the hard things. These stories will come from a variety of different folks, including some young adults from The Foundry. Don’t worry, we won’t randomly call you up to share - but we are excited to create space within the larger conversation for discussion in smaller groups.
I hope you’ll join us this season as we share these stories and celebrate the Goodness of God’s Grace in each of our lives.
And if you are still working to find people to do life with, come be a part of this community. I know from experience how hard it can be to find and build community, but it is so worth not quitting on the way.
