Create What You Crave

This summer several ladies from Moxie are reading and discussing Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them by John Ortberg. It is an interesting book about living in community with imperfect people which is all of us. We've enjoyed three meetings together and engaged in good conversation. I'm thankful for these friends who are willing to encourage, disagree, laugh, and cry with each other. I'm praying these women will be used to draw others into deeper friendships. 

The phrase I continue to challenge our group with is "create what you crave." I didn't come up with it, but read it somewhere and I can't remember where so I can't give credit to the right heart. But, it resonates with me in so many ways. 

When I crave cookies, I create them. When I crave time alone, I close the door and enjoy the silence. When I craved health, I created a plan and mental toughness get healthy. The list could go on. 

But relationships are different. We want to be pursued, loved, engaged with. Sadly, we often sit in our cravings unsure how to satisfy the need for conversation, depth, a reassuring smile. 

What would it look like to step out of just living in desire and begin to be the person to take initiative, to make the phone call, to take the first step in sharing the truth of our hearts? 

It looks like risk taking, dealing with the fear of rejection, being willing to make ten or more phone calls. It looks like hard work. To create one must put thought, action, time and consistency into a desired outcome to bring an idea or object into existence. Even friendship and community. Only God can create something out of nothing. For us it takes work. 

Today I won't give any ideas or answers to this thought. Let's think through some questions together. 

What do you crave in relationships? What do you value in a friendship? Do you have a circle of people on whom you can depend? Can they depend on you? What kinds of discussions do you have with the people in your life? Do your conversations revolve around people, events, or ideas? If there is one or two ways you would like to see your community grow, can you think of one or two ideas to begin to create that growth? 

What are your thoughts on creating what you crave?