Thanks a lot for the outpouring of support, y'all - it's great to know I'm not alone in that struggle.
Some of you guys pretty much nailed it re: not wanting to interrupt conversations/intrude. That's a huge part of the awkwardness. Even for this "rude New Yorker," that's a tough habit to unlearn!
I really wish that the unspoken social conventions did take a backseat upon coming to faith in Christ - and sometimes they do... but at least in the churches I've experienced, they don't always. Even we Christians have our cliques, our favored people, and those who we write off too easily.
Some of you guys pretty much nailed it re: not wanting to interrupt conversations/intrude. That's a huge part of the awkwardness. Even for this "rude New Yorker," that's a tough habit to unlearn!
I really wish that the unspoken social conventions did take a backseat upon coming to faith in Christ - and sometimes they do... but at least in the churches I've experienced, they don't always. Even we Christians have our cliques, our favored people, and those who we write off too easily.