{"id":21414,"date":"2026-03-11T11:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:06:22","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-21T14:12:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T18:12:10","slug":"embracing-a-new-family-of-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/embracing-a-new-family-of-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Embracing a New Family of Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

I found a seat just before the nine o\u2019clock service. It was one of those <\/em>mornings. My husband, Lonny, was out of town again for work. My oldest son was away at college. My teenager took so long to get dressed that he wasn\u2019t much help with his little brothers, who were surly because they hadn\u2019t slept well.<\/p>\n

There\u2019d been a mad dash to get here so they wouldn\u2019t be late for their Bible classes. Now I just wanted to leave. Everywhere I looked, folks were catching up. Laughing. Sharing. Everyone but me. I sat alone. Again.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d been at this church for six months. Would I ever <\/em>feel at home here? Like I belonged?<\/p>\n

Help me to stay right here, Lord, <\/em>I prayed. Because all I want to do is pluck the boys from their classes and head back to Cornerstone<\/em>. Our old church, which, true to its name, had been a cornerstone in our lives. We\u2019d made just-like-family friends and incredible memories there.<\/p>\n

Lonny and I discovered Cornerstone when we had just two boys and needed a place to learn about God\u2019s love. The people welcomed us with open arms. We wouldn\u2019t have made it through years of infertility, a miscarriage and the challenges of homeschooling without them.<\/p>\n

At Cornerstone, our family grew in number\u2014 to five boys in all\u2014and we grew in faith. Then, after six years, we decided to move. Not far. Just 22 miles across the mighty Mississippi from Iowa to Illinois to shorten Lonny\u2019s commute to work.<\/p>\n

One morning we sat on the peeling porch steps of the old Victorian we planned to buy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to leave Cornerstone,\u201d I told Lonny. \u201cI just can\u2019t give up what we have there.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pulled me close. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Shawnelle,\u201d he said. \u201cNothing about church has to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

We bought the house and made the move\u2026and we made the drive to Cornerstone. On the interstate. Over the long bridge from Illinois to Iowa. From our creaking back door to the wide-open front doors of the church. For three years, it was worth every mile.<\/p>\n

But our lives got busier. There were basketball, soccer and baseball games. Plenty of church activities too. Deacon meetings. Fellowship meetings. Youth group for the older boys, Bible club for the little ones. Our once-a-week trips to Cornerstone became almost daily treks. The river now felt like an ocean.<\/p>\n

One Sunday Lonny said, \u201cGoing back and forth like this is wearing us all out. I feel like maybe God wants us to find a church where we live. Get to know folks better. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just\u2026I just can\u2019t imagine leaving,\u201d I said. Why does <\/em>everything always have to change, Lord? <\/em>Then I thought about how hectic things had become. Constantly rushing from place to place\u2026. That wasn\u2019t good for any of us. Maybe Lonny was right. I finally relented. \u201cOkay,\u201d I said. \u201cLet\u2019s try it.\u201d<\/p>\n

So we found a church in town. And we went faithfully every week. We joined a Sunday school class, got the kids involved with programs. But making just-like-family friends? Feeling like it was our second home? That didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

One time we stood at a church dinner, plates in hand, searching for seats, and no one made room at their table. I\u2019m reserved by nature but I\u2019d tried getting acquainted with some of the ladies after service. We never seemed to get beyond polite chitchat.<\/p>\n

Now I sat here alone in this pew. It had been so hard for me to leave Cornerstone, but I thought we\u2019d made the right choice. Had we heard God wrong?<\/p>\n

The service ended. I waited to break into the flow of folks streaming out the door. At Cornerstone, friends would\u2019ve caught me outside, wanting to hear about my week or how the boys were\u2026. Today I\u2019d be lucky to make it to the van before my eyes burned with tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning, Shawnelle,\u201d came a voice from behind me.<\/p>\n

I looked over my shoulder. Becky. From Sunday school class. We\u2019d talked once or twice.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning,\u201d I said, then glanced back at the door.<\/p>\n

Becky laid her hand on my shoulder. \u201cHow are you?\u201d she asked. \u201cIs Lonny okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re fine,\u201d I said. \u201cLonny\u2019s just out of town for work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s tough,\u201d she said. \u201cThe boys doing okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was about to tell her they were fine. I was fine. Everything <\/em>was fine. But there was something in her eyes. Kindness. Understanding. Sure, this church was different. But that look? I knew it well. I\u2019d seen it at Cornerstone. Something inside me crumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really not fine,\u201d I admitted. \u201cLonny\u2019s been gone a lot. The boys are cranky. Getting out the door this morning, it felt like my last thin thread was going to break.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said, taking my hands in hers. \u201cMay I pray for you now? Pray for you and all those boys?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded. We closed our eyes.<\/p>\n

Right there, standing in line, Becky prayed out loud. For me to have patience. For Lonny to get home safely. For our boys to be content and peaceful. And I prayed too. Quietly. In my heart. Thank you, Lord, for Becky. For the way she reached out. For the way she listened.<\/em><\/p>\n

The warmth of Becky\u2019s hands flowed into my spirit. People hadn\u2019t meant to be unwelcoming, I realized. I was the one who had a wall up. I really hadn\u2019t tried all that hard to reach out.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been holding back, clinging so tightly to our memories at Cornerstone that I wasn\u2019t open to the new experiences, and new friends, right in front of me. That was me all right, fighting change, always trying to make time stop.<\/p>\n

God must\u2019ve heard Becky\u2019s prayer as well as mine, because the boys were quiet that afternoon and I had some time to think. After Lonny got home we sat out on the porch to talk. \u201cI want to get more involved with people at our new church. I want them to know me, know you, know our boys,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m ready if you are.\u201d Then he gave me a big, reassuring hug, as big as the mighty Mississippi.<\/p>\n

That was a year ago. Today Lonny and I lead a small Bible-study group and I\u2019m teaching Sunday school. The boys love it too. And Becky and the rest of our church friends? They\u2019re just like family.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right, our church feels like home now. It\u2019s where I belong on this side of the Big River. And each week when I step through the doors, I\u2019m reminded that it\u2019s okay to look back on the past, to cherish the memories, as long as you make room for the joy that is right before you.<\/p>\n

For more inspiring stories, subscribe to <\/em>Guideposts<\/strong><\/a> magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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