The Sunday after we left our church plant, we returned to our previous church home. We immediately began trying out Sunday school classes, looking for a new way to get involved, a new fit, a new family. Soon after, we met with one of the pastors to talk about why we’d come back, and not too much time later, I joined the choir and began attending rehearsals every Thursday night.

When we talked to friends who had left the church plant a few months earlier than us, they were surprised to hear that we’d jumped right back into church after the deep hurts we’d all experienced. “You must be super Christians,” they joked.

At least, I think they were joking. They must have been. At that time they knew us better than pretty much anyone, so they knew all the many ways we were not “super” at all. Still, they seemed confused by the way we appeared not to need any down time after our heartbreak.

Our friends were taking some time off from church – time to process and to heal – as were several others involved in our church plant. And who could blame them? What we went through was traumatic . . . and exhausting . . . and life-changing. So why weren’t we doing the same thing?

To read the rest of my post about how each of us reacts differently to difficult experiences, visit me at (in)courage.

This post is part of my 31 Days series and fits perfectly (heh. No pun intended.) with my theme of Giving Up on Perfect Relationships this week. Because accepting each other’s differences, even in the face of shared pain, is a huge step toward authentic, accepting relationships.

You can find the rest of my 31 Days posts here, and you can find tons of 31 Days series at The Nester’s place.