Get Out of Your House

December 22, 2011 in Influence, Leadership, missional with 4 Comments

I enjoy my family and my personal space.

I really like relaxing at home and just closing the door to the world. I like to turn on the television, have a nice glass of iced tea and let the evening go by without thinking. This type of relaxing works for me after having conversations, solving problems and dealing with the work-a-day stuff we all face.

But, in the realm of developing relationships with those who we live near it STINKS.

How can we get to know others when we close our curtains, shut the doors and absorb the television or computer for hours at a time? There are relationships that need to be built all around us. Each of us have been given a level of influence in our workplace and the places we live that can only be enhanced or grown by spending time with people outside of “expected” or “programmed” time together.

Inviting people into our personal lives is time-consuming, it can be energy draining for some people and it’s risky to be vulnerable in relationship.

But, developing relationships is also life-giving, exciting and worth while to our life. We were created to have relationships and influence with others. If we hide from these opportunities we are the ones who lose out on what we were created for in this life.

What new relationships are you building?

Who are the people you are investing time with each week a way from work?

  • Kristin Aune

    Kyle,
    As a full time stay at home mom I find it very difficult to find opportunities to invest in others that don’t already go to our church, my bible study, etc.  This is the first time in my life that I have been a full time stay at home mom. With Kyndal I always had my photography business so I constantly had people in my life who I could potentially influence that were out of my circle.  I was also in a Mom’s group when she was little.  That “club” did end up in some hurt,  when you open yourself up there is a potential of hurt.  With an older child in school now, there is just not a lot of time for a Mom’s club plus with the size of our church and having a  small group (we didn’t when K was little) I find there are already plenty of opportunities for Emmett to have social time.  That leaves me not too many opportunities for me to influence outside of my little church bubble.  Recently I was invited to join a dinner club from one of my old Mom’s club friends.  Once a month a different lady hosts a dinner at their house.  The first several months I was not able to make the dinners because my schedule always conflicted.  December was my turn to host, I was co-hosting with another lady.  I had 8 other women in my house, a few go to church, most do not, at least one is very far from God.   We sat down for our meal and the lady who invited me (who knows I am a Christ follower) as me to say the blessing.  I was shocked!  I also felt like a bumbling idiot, lol!  Nonetheless, I am thankful that God has given me this opportunity to influence that I have been so much desiring lately. 

    Thanks for what you are doing in Belgium Kyle!  I enjoy reading your blogs.

    -Kristin Aune

  • http://kylegoen.com kylegoen

    Kristin,

    You are doing exactly what I wanted to communicate. You are investing in others. This time it was in the context of your home. This is a great story. I am pumped to read about how you are learning to redefine how developing relationship looks as a mom with two children and a busy life. The main thing is to prioritize the importance investing in others. Thanks for your leadership and friendship. Keep leading and serving.

  • Bosieb

    We live in a new caveman society. People come home, press a button to open the door to their cave, and disappear. When I was young we knew all our neighbors. Now that I am old, I stay in my cave and don’t take boys camping anymore as I did when you were a kid at First Baptist Church in Greenville. But I do teach a senior abult Sunday school class and get out to the old geezer’s meeting at Whataburger every morning……Bosie Boswell

    • http://kylegoen.com kylegoen

      Bosie,
      Thank you for your comment. You have really pointed out a very interesting truth about the “Cavemen Society” and it’s effects. 
      I have great memories of our RA campouts and the trips you would take us on. I learned a lot under your leadership. Thank you for investing your time into my life.