A Heart That Beats For ONE

"Some people have written to us saying they feel like they don't belong or can't fit in. Well, what we encourage them to do is to be the ONE that steps out. You're not going to find Okinawa anywhere else and many try to find it when they go back to the States. They get discouraged and say they can't find a church. Well, you be the one that reaches out. You be the one that says hello..."

I remember those words quite often but they became real to me a year after I heard them. I remember thinking no one would do that. It's just rude...but the last 2-3 years have proven to be just that.
Clique-ness
I've wrote about it before on my blog so I'm not going to get into it but I will say it was difficult trying to find people to talk to. To find fellowship after being in a small church for so long and to blend in especially when military brat/ and I-lived-in-another-country-for-five years syndrome was so obvious. I remember the first time when I went to wash my hands at a restroom wondering how in the world was I going to get a paper towel. It wasn't until a lady in front of me waved her palm in front of it and I realized, "WHOA...It's SENSOR operated??"
Yep...little things.
But anyways I'm writing this to encourage you. Small, short and to the point.
Since that time I've learned the art of reaching out. It was painful during the times when no one would receive my hello or handshake...so one day I decided to take another step forward. I would this time quit expecting a response and instead ask them questions, introduce myself and be open to the possibility to be a friend instead of turning away immediately (I was afraid to see what they thought of me).
And it worked.
Thanks to this person's words, I followed through on his advice and gained a friend.
Don't let the obstacle of clique-ness or feelings of not belonging hinder you. There are times when people reject you but keep GOING.
God will use it to mold you and refine you and in the end, He will show you the fruit of it.
Don't give up and keep reaching out.
It doesn't matter if it's random, REACH OUT.