Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Sweet Friendships....

Life has been so busy - full of unexpected events, financial crises, family issues.
This time in my life find me leading three women's Bible studies, taking Psychology in school (ugh) and contemplating another book.
Then there is the regular day to day stuff: take kids to school, pick up kids from school, take kids to work, pick up kids from work. Oh wait.... what's for dinner? Do I have any clean clothes to wear? When was the last time this floor was vacuumed?

Today I was determined to get some things done. Nothing was going to take my focus off of getting my house in order and then spending some time reading my Bible and resting my brain before picking up the Psychology book again. I turned up the praise music and started in on the living room, no wait the kitchen, oops... need to start laundry. Focus, girl, focus!

Then I received a text message.... from a very special friend.

To be totally transparent for a moment, friendships don't come easily to me. I'm cautious and shy and very protective so as not to be hurt. And God has put some very important and special friends in my life that have carried me through some really hard times and some outrageous victories.

But then God sent me a very special friend. I can't even begin to explain or understand our friendship. You see, she and I have never met face to face. I was introduced to her through a blog she wrote; turns out she is related to some friends from church. For about a year, I read about the journey God was taking her through on the pages of a website. As we communicated back and forth, we soon became Facebook friends and then shared phone numbers. We shared some tears and some triumphs and kept saying, "One day we should meet; I mean, we do live in the same town."

Last year, she and her family moved to Arizona - and we never got the chance to meet. But our friendship has remained active through facebook and text messages. Today I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all that is going on and the approach of the first anniversary of my sister's death. Silly me, I was just going to buck up and push through. Until that text message....all she wanted was a question about a recipe, but it turned out to be a bright spot in my day and strength to my soul.

I'm sharing this because I don't think we completely realize the importance of friendship, nor do we realize that sometimes what we think may be a simple question turns out to be a divine appointment. God nudges us in small ways to make a call, or give a hug, or just smile, not knowing that this one "simple act" is exactly what the other person needed.

I had to stop vacuuming today to write this and just say, "Thank you, Jetta... you were exactly what I needed today. And whether you know it or not... you were used by a merciful Father to show His love to another of His children. And one day.... we really should meet face to face! I love you!!!"

"A sweet friendship refreshes the soul."
Proverbs 27:9 


'Lena
©Be Still and Know