Awkward.

Poor turtle needs a hug!

"Embrace the awkward" is a statement I hear a lot at church these days. My church is really trying to foster community, and from where I'm sitting, it's going well. But many of us often hesitate to approach new people, or get more "real" with people we already know, for fear of painful awkwardness. I know that's true of me. We're afraid of running out of witty conversation topics, or of stepping on someone's toes, or just of people thinking we're weird. Acknowledging this in a big group setting has been freeing for me. Instead of worrying about possible awkwardness, I can accept that there will be awkwardness and learn to be okay with it. Not that I've learned yet, but I'm getting there. Also, one of my pastors pointed out that it was pretty awkward for Jesus to become human and be among us.

Maybe we should also have a demonstration of awkward turtle. It's a useful and under-used gesture!