Comfort and community go hand-in-hand. When you are comfortable, you are more likely to be yourself and dive deeper into the community around you. And your community can provide you with a great source of comfort. For this reason, I am obsessed with the sectional couch in our living room. It provides comfort to those who enter our home and has a way of building up the community around me.
Let me take you back to the beginning of my relationship with our couch so you can better understand…..on our way out of town for our honeymoon, my brand-new husband and I stopped at a furniture store to get inspiration for our basement. There was a beautiful green and brown sectional that caught my eye. My brain immediately started rearranging the furniture in our entire house. I knew this couch would fit perfectly in our living room. I was insistent on swiping the credit card right then and there. However, my logical husband reminded me that we needed to measure the couch and the space to ensure it would fit without blocking the deck door or covering up the floor vent. After a few deep breaths, I knew he was right, and we left for our honeymoon.
With the couch on my mind, I made my husband measure the day we returned. Sure enough, the measurements were perfectly aligned, and the couch was mine!!
This couch has been a gathering ground for the last two years.
Before the birth of our daughter, I hosted a women's group every other Monday night. The group started small in numbers but gradually grew into a consistent and dependable army of women. One evening, we had 14 women attend, and my beloved couch provided seat accommodations for 9 of those women!! Through the comfort of my home and couch, we had vulnerable and faith-filled conversations that encouraged one another on our faith journey. Those women were a pivotal influence on who I am today!
Since becoming a mother, my circle of influence has shifted. I now host a mom’s group on Friday mornings. As our group grows in number, the couch has become a snug place for a new mom to breastfeed her baby or snuggle them to sleep. It is where we discuss diaper rash remedies, how to live liturgical lives with our families or discuss new recipes. Although many of us mothers are sitting on the floor wrangling children, the couch is available to share vulnerability about the joys and struggles we encounter in our vocation as a wife and mothers.
It has been a beautiful journey hosting various groups of women throughout the different chapters of my life. The Lord loves the small details of our lives. I firmly believe He inspired the designer of our couch with my community of women in mind! And I’m so grateful!
Join me in a prayer of thanksgiving this week for the comfort the Lord has provided to and through your community.
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Abby
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