“Imperfect Friendships”

“Being perfect and being lovable are completely unconnected.” - Amanda Anderson

This meeting had a crazy start when leadership was notified upon arrival that a main water line was out and the church property had no water … which meant no bathrooms! 😳 Your Childcare leaders came up with some creative solutions and right before our meeting ended water was restored. Praise the Lord! 👏🏻 It was a true testimony to how special MOPS is because we had 30 women who gathered together even without water. Our time together is truly precious. 💕

We spent time having brunch before playing a super fun icebreaker game. There were lots of laughs.

Afterwards, we watched the “Imperfect Friendships” video. The video was of Amanda Anderson who asks: Are we stopping ourselves from having authentic relationships because we are searching for perfection? She wants you to consider what kind of friend you are and let others get close enough to be your friend.  She is the author of “All My Friends Have Issues: Building Remarkable Relationships with Imperfect People (Like Me?)”. 

In the video, she talks about how our version of “the perfect friend” isn’t too high of an expectation, but a flawed expectation. Are we expecting all our friends to be just like us? Or do they stretch us and help us grow as a mother? She reminds us that authentic, satisfying connection always brings risk. She wants us to remind ourselves that everyone has issues, including us. Don’t hide who you are. She also tells us to accept fluctuations in the friendship, being aware that cycles of closeness and distance are common and sometimes necessary in the early childhood years. Lastly, she tells us to avoid a common should/must for mothers. She tells us instead of seeking women who are like us, think more in terms of building friendships with women who have essential character qualities that make relationships thrive. Her two non-negotiable qualities friendship qualities are humility and encouraging. She tells us to look for these in potential friends and work on developing them in ourselves. In a world full of stress and danger, we can encourage each other with words of comfort and community. So, love each other deeply, issues and all, and be brave enough to let people get close enough to love the real you. 🥰 If you missed the video, it’s pinned in the featured posts in our private Facebook group. 

After, the video we had small group discussions where we talked about things like : 

• What are your friendship non-negotiables?
• What are your issues?
• Have you noticed fluctuations or cycles in your friendships?
• Who around you is encouraging to you?
• What kind of friend are you to others?
• How can you support your children in developing their own friendships?

Lastly a few announcements:

Here are the book recommendations from the meeting:

Bible study is next week. Childcare is provided. Come even if you haven’t read. 💕

We also have our monthly book club meeting coming up. If you are interested, reach out and we will get you connected to that Facebook group. 

Lastly, we hope you'll join us April 20th for even more fun and fellowship as we have a guest speaker coming: a local pediatrician. Feel free to invite a friend along, or come and make some new ones. 🤩

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” 

Ephesians 4:29

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

1 Peter 4:8