A week in the friend zone: Tshepanang Personal Growth Workshop

novLife begins at the end of your comfort zone – Neale Donald Walsch

The lack of comfort occupied my mind on the journey. With my long legs cramped into a tiny space, and the worn seats causing my body to ache, I could hardly think of anything else. That is, until the chain of mountains behind the glistening Hartebeersport Dam appeared before us. Ha Phororo: the Place of the Waterfall. It was here we were to make the acquaintance of God as our friend.

Trevor Hudson’s book, Friendship with God, was our guideline for the whole week. We read sections of it daily, enhanced by Bible readings, and reflective ‘friendship exercises’ on each section. The content aimed to shed light on God’s longing to be our friend and how we can build a friendship with Him. It made me look at my relationship with God from a completely different angle. It was surprisingly challenging to be faced with a different image of God which did not suit the one in my head. From the contributions others made, it was evident they had a similar experience in this regard.

In our respective groups, we tried to answer thought provoking questions on the assigned topics. The questions urged us to become emerged in the content and share our ideas. When we were all assembled, discussions occasionally broke out. The most vigorous discussion by far voiced the views of various members concerning the obstacles we face, when trying to build God’s dream, in the workplace. Dr. Hermann, the leader of the workshop, steered the conversation back to the question of how we can overcome these obstacles as friends of God. The option of connecting our friendship with God so directly with the obstacles of daily life was a new discovery.

Indeed, we were confronted with various new experiences and discoveries. The introduction to meditation and the hike, which filled the program of a full day, were two of the most mentioned highlights. Listening to the conversation in the girls’ dorm before the hike, I would not have guessed how many would name it their highlight of the week.

In this week, we went beyond the comfort zone to explore the friend zone with God. We made plenty new discoveries about ourselves. The new perspective on our relationship with God, the confrontation and challenge of things completely foreign to us, having to overcome fears and sharing all this with others… These experiences we made had one thing in common: they stimulated our personal growth. One of the most important things I learnt in this workshop was this: it is said that comfort is luxury but I have come to believe that the opportunity to grow is a much greater luxury.

Linda Karabo Hermann, Mafikeng

A week in the friend zone: Tshepanang Personal Growth Workshop
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