Ess-cuse me, this is my first time here...

This semester, Alex and I are teaching Pre-K Sunday School. I love this age (well, let's be honest, I love kids of any age). When we met for the first time a couple weeks ago, one of the students raised her hand and timidly confessed, "Ess-cuse me, this is my first time here..." It warmed my heart to see her bravery and feel her tension. Haven't we all been the 'new kid' at one time or another? It's often uncomfortable or scary to not know what to expect or not know anyone in the room. Or worse... to be perceived as a beginner.

The truth is being a beginner is part of life, part of transitions, part of trying something new. Somehow, the world has told us that we must have achieved some sort of level of expertise in whatever endeavor we are attempting. We have relegated ordinary, average, and beginner to the back-burner of worthiness. Of course, none of this true, but at some level we feel this or begin to believe this.

But "new" also can signal the beginning of something exciting. When we're just beginning, we use this adjective to describe ourselves- a new employee, a new mom, a new sophomore, a new neighbor, etc. I'm really preaching to myself here, because of this new endeavor (e.g. website). I'm not a new writer, as I have been writing in various capacities for years. I'm not even new to blogging, but I didn't have one that was consistent. So, I claim no expertise, but rather offer my meager thoughts and invite you to join me on the journey.

That Sunday, I bent down on the level of the student sitting at her table and said, "That's okay, it's my first time to be here too." Her eyebrows went up in disbelief, and then I continued while pointing at her classmates, "Actually, it's all our first time here!" She couldn't believe it. I explained that we were all starting together (being our first kick-off Sunday), and that it was okay that she hadn't done this before. On some level, this is my confession to you too. It's first time having a website, a newsletter, and a blog. And I am going to say out loud that I'm not late, but rather right on time. What new thing have you wanted to start?