New Job, New Year, New Me?

Being the new kid at the church, ok; old kid, is both exciting and challenging. Meeting new people, learning new tasks, and trying to fit in has been as rewarding as it has been taxing.
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Fitting in is the greatest barrier to belonging. Fitting in, I've discovered during the past decade of my life, is assessing situations and groups of people, then twisting myself into a human pretzel in order to get them to let me hang our with 

Susie Olson

them or like me. Belonging is something else entirely​—it's showing up and letting myself be seen and known as I really am—love of rock painting, fear of public speaking, sarcastic sense of humor, and all.

Many of us suffer from this split between who we really are and who we present to the world in order to be accepted. (Take it from me: I'm an expert fitter-inner!) But we're not letting ourselves be known, and this kind of incongruent living is soul-killing.
During various seasons of my life, I have not fit in. I was too smart, too awkward, or too much of a "goody-two-shoes" in high school, plus I didn't have the right clothes. As you can probably guess, I felt different from others. Feeling worthy had always impacted the choices I made for friendships, marriage, jobs.

Once I welcomed and accepted myself, through Jesus’s eyes, the world seemed to open up to me. I no longer tried to impress everyone and I can look further into what interests ME. Retirement was more difficult with the limited income but the reward of time for self-exploration has been very worthwhile. I’ve learned so much about myself and the world in this period of my life because I’ve had the time to! My time wasn’t being eaten up by trying to impress others or keep up with them anymore.

This past year I decided to step out of retirement once again and found this perfect part time job. I walked into my interview believing that if I were just myself, I could trust that they would let me know if I would fit in. 1st Presbyterian not only offers me some income, but a sense of belonging and purpose. I have been accepted for just who I am due to the grace extended to me from the congregation as well as the office.
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As this new-year rolls on, I embrace Philippians 4:8, 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

​In His Name, Susie