Exclusive Content:

“Prayer Is Positively Powerful”—Unborn Baby Has Over 90% Chance of Dying, Floors Doctors as Living, Breathing Miracle

The baby's condition was 'off the charts bad'. It was so extreme that the specialists stopped measuring and monitoring his fluid level because, at that point, it didn't really matter. The MRI's were sickening to look at.

“I’m Married to Someone I Don’t Truly Know”: Woman Gets Engaged to Husband Twice After Traumatic Memory Loss

"I felt like I was stuck in a hazy nightmare I couldn’t escape. For 2 years, I spent every waking moment in tear-jerking, white-knuckled pain."

Mom Urges Parents to See This X-Ray After Family BBQ Lands Her Son in the ER

“It was the most awful and difficult 24 hours of my life watching my son in so much pain, not being able to do anything to make it better and know that this could have been 100% avoidable."

‘I Don’t Fit in. They Don’t Really Want Me There. I Wonder Why I Wasn’t Invited. Circles Are Great if You’re on the Inside.’

Sometimes I feel like I’m not quite cool enough. Sometimes I feel like I’m not quite popular enough. Sometimes I feel like I don’t fit in the same way other people do.

Sometimes I feel like there is a group who maybe doesn’t really want me there. Sometimes I wonder why I wasn’t invited. Sometimes I walk up to a circle of people and I don’t know whether to force my way in, or be awkward hanging around on the outside, just twiddling my thumbs, kicking the dirt, talking to myself, waiting until I can leave and go home to the safety of my sofa.

Circles are great if you’re on the inside. They can be fun if you’re in one, but circles can be awfully cruel if you’re left on the outskirts, looking for a way to get inside.

They can be exclusive.
They can be excluding.
They can be exhausting.

They can be cliquish.
They can be childish.
They are far, far too common.

Stop building circles and build a U. Leave room for everyone. Make a way so anyone, any ‘you’ can walk up and feel like they have a place to stand.

Leave room for good people who look different than you, who run in different crowds than you, who like different things than you, who come from different places than you. Differences were never made to divide us. They were made to build us, and to teach us, to fill in the gaps where our own gifts give way and come up short.

Have your few trusted friends. Have your people. Keep them close. Spend time with them. Share your secrets with them. Work on building and maintaining and safe-guarding those sacred sisters.

You can’t be best friends with everyone.

But you can notice everyone. You can make room for everyone. You can be kind and generous and thoughtful and sympathetic to everyone. You can smile to everyone. You can make eye contact with everyone. You can probably even offer a simple ‘hello’ to everyone.

When you are out with a group, when you’re at a meeting, or an event, or a Bible study. When you’re at a kid’s soccer game, or a school function, or absolutely any public setting — lift up your unsuspecting head and look for the lonely. Chat with the new. Invite the introverts who will never invite themselves. Hug the hurting. Make room for more.

Amy Weatherly
Amy Weatherly
Amy Weatherly loves bright lipstick, graphic tees, and Diet Dr. Pepper a little more than she probably should. Most days, you can find her in sweatpants and earrings the size of her face shuffling kids back and forth like a crazy person. Her family is her home. Her friends are her safe space. And her passion is helping women find courage, confidence, and the deep-rooted belief that their life has a deep and significant purpose if they will just find the courage to live fierce and love free. You have probably seen her face on The Today Show website, MSN.com, Good Morning America, Yahoo.com, Love What Matters, Focus on the Family, and of course, her own social media pages. She was also named one of the Top 20 Mom Bloggers to follow in 2018 by MomCafe. Make sure to come follow her on Facebook.

“Prayer Is Positively Powerful”—Unborn Baby Has Over 90% Chance of Dying, Floors Doctors as Living, Breathing Miracle

The baby's condition was 'off the charts bad'. It was so extreme that the specialists stopped measuring and monitoring his fluid level because, at that point, it didn't really matter. The MRI's were sickening to look at.

“I’m Married to Someone I Don’t Truly Know”: Woman Gets Engaged to Husband Twice After Traumatic Memory Loss

"I felt like I was stuck in a hazy nightmare I couldn’t escape. For 2 years, I spent every waking moment in tear-jerking, white-knuckled pain."

Mom Urges Parents to See This X-Ray After Family BBQ Lands Her Son in the ER

“It was the most awful and difficult 24 hours of my life watching my son in so much pain, not being able to do anything to make it better and know that this could have been 100% avoidable."