All are Welcome

When I was growing up I remember Poltergeist being one of my favorite movies ever. I was so intrigued by the whole concept of a little girl being lost in a television. Of course looking back totally inappropriate watching for a little girl but some of the lines of the movie still are stuck in my brain. One line that sticks with me is "all are welcome". I don't know why that line sticks with me but when I hear it is always in a different context from the movie. We have now moved a total of too many times for my liking. We moved to Texas just about two years ago. I never moved as a child so it has definitely been a new experience for me. I think mostly what has impacted me is that sense of belonging that is difficult to find when you are coming to a new place. We have met what seems like a million people here in our part of Texas. Small towns are good for that. It is easy to spring up a conversation with anyone. Most people say good morning or hello when they pass you by but when it is all said and done those little conversations don't translate into very much more than just that a little conversation.
Like when you are working on a puzzle and you have a piece that almost fits but in the end it is not the right one and you have to start your search all over again. Peoples arms are open and you think "Yes this is it" and then you realize it just isn't it. My husband and I are both pretty personable people so we are extremely fond of relationships but he has even asked about where do we really fit? I think because we are the ones moving "in" to the neighborhood we see the work that it takes to not just open your arms but your heart. To make people feel included and a part of activities and basically your life is a commitment that takes time and effort. What we see is that sometimes we work at it but it is not reciprocated because we misunderstood good ole' southern hospitality for someone desiring "relationship" with us. We have met some wonderful people and we have had some instances of people opening their hearts and we are most thankful for them but they are not as often or common as we would have hoped. Sad to report also that church and christians are not really doing a great job either. In the town where we spend most of our time there are churches literally everwhere. Yet people stick to what they know and are extremely closed off from newcomers.
I am thankful it has reminded me that there are lonely, abandoned, do I dare say orphaned people out there looking for someone to welcome them into their lives, someone that will welcome them into the family. It also amazes me that so many people from other countries experience the same sense of loneliness, when they come to this country, that we have experienced because we just don't do things the way they do. Family is such a huge part of their lives and their homes are always open. I think going home to our native Chicago helped us see some of what was missing here. So we are praying that what the Father is letting us experience will make us sensitive to love and care for people who are feeling lost in this big overpopulated world where there should not be one lonely heart. We are praying we don't have to move again but if it be His will we will move with a heart of all are welcome because we want the Father to welcome us.