Group chats are typically synonymous with annoyance. Nobody wants to get stuck in a group chat. You start to hear all the little bells on your phone go off, and you begin to sweat and strategize, “How will I get out of this?!”
The internal dialogue goes something like this . . . Why, God, why??? Dear Lord, will they ever take my number off? I don’t know half these people! How big of a jerk will I look like if I leave the group?
But what if a group chat was your much-needed link to fellow mamas and sister-friends that you might not have otherwise reached out to as much?
I’m going to be honest here, I try really hard to reach out if someone comes to my mind, but I don’t always make the effort to do so.
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Some days, it just seems too hard to reach out. The busyness of life overwhelms me. I start getting lost in my feelings and my schedule and my kid’s schedules and that is exactly how friendships fade to the back burner. Because those friends are going through the exact same life struggles pulling them under, and we don’t always make contact even if we know we should.
I am in a group chat that is quite literally my saving grace many days.
Someone’s kid is sick, she drops in for prayers, and we remember (most of the time) to follow up with how they are feeling. Someone has a rough meeting coming up that she’s nervous about? We all cheer her on and tell her she’ll be great. One of us had a tough day at home, we come together and remind her of her worth and that things will get better.
When one of us is silent, the others notice and go check on her. It’s so easy to get bogged down in life with all the stress surrounding us, and if you are anxiety-prone, often you turn away from people instead of toward them for support.
This group always reminds me of the value of sharing my burdens because it does make them feel lighter. I know they are praying for me. I know they’ll hear me out. I know they’ll love me. I know they’ll offer me godly advice.
And that means the world to me.
And when I go radio silent, sometimes just sitting back and watching my friends interact with each other draws me back in because I see how much better it is to not do life alone.
I know I can come as I am—bad day, amazing day, or lonely day—and share wherever I am at, and it will be OK with them.
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I know I can frantically ask for prayers as we are rushing to the hospital, and they will stop and pray. I know when I get great news of something amazing God did in my life, they are the first ones I want to tell because they know exactly what I’m talking about and were waiting with me.
They are my people. My cheerleaders. My prayer warriors. My best friends and I am theirs. So, even though I’m only hanging on in life by a group chat, I am totally OK with that.