True Friendships

WARNING: This could quite possibly be a very cheesy post.

I have had some very interesting things occur recently that have made me think very long and strong about a lot of the friendships that I have had through the years and those that the Lord has allowed to leave fingerprints on my life. One of these precious friendships began back to elementary school where we played with pottery wheels in the summer with faulty wiring and lots of electric shocks. We rode our bikes to school with each other and talked about the friendships pins we had made at school on the way home or when our "contracts" were due. We wore the rainbow shirts that stretched from sleeve to sleeve and collected smurfs. We even broke our ankles the same week just in time for pictures. And, man, did we have some BIG 'OL FIGHTS! Even still, I love these memories but they don't even compare with the friendship that I can count on even today at 12:45 PM in the midst of a pseudo-crisis from work. I can count on tough love and common sense wisdom and positive feedback and I love that. More than that, I love her.

I have friendships that began in college. Some of these friendships are specific to periods of time in college and have made their way back into my life "for such a time as this". (Esther 4:14) There are those that have seen me grow and likewise, I have seen them grow into women who enjoy the life the God has given to them and continue to promote His glory through their lives. For one of these friends, I have been lucky enough to now call her "family" as my brother also thought she was definitely worth keeping around. He was right. We are very different in many ways yet so very much the same in so many ways that matter. The saying goes, "you get to pick your friends, but you don't get to pick your family." In very special circumstances, you get to have input in both. I consider myself very blessed to have this kind of friendship and now, "sister".

I have friends that have been specifically prayed for in that, I prayed for the Lord to provide a certain someone at a certain juncture in my life who was a sweet Christian girl, loved to have fun and would serve in ministry together with me. This has happened in two special instances, both times in where I, too, was an answer to their prayers for a special friend that the Lord would provide. When the Lord brings certain people together, it is something worth more than "All the Gold...in Califor-nia" (Sing it, Larry Gatlin!! -- Love that song!) Those friendships become the pearls among oysters - ones where the value is probably not realized fully until you comprehend the overwhelming orchestration of details to coordinate this special friendship. They become more precious as time goes on because the Lord remains the center of the relationship and continues to bless it. Through boyfriends, weddings, mission trips with lost luggage, family visits over 4th of July, fishing together, card games, many bible studies, fellowships and prayers, these friends are consistent and faithful. Those character traits are priceless as are they. I pray that I can be the same for them.

And then there are friends that are more recent friends. Friends that have just emerged as encouragers, those that demonstrate care and concern, those that lift you up in prayer and those that are just plain fun! I don't know if these are friendships "for a season" but what a great season!! I am so thankful for the opportunity to know these women and their strength of character and comforting spirit. I so look forward to that paths that I know the Lord has directed to get us together at the same point in time and where the roads will ultimately take us. I hope that in 20 years, I can write about friends again and some of you will be among those that I claim as more precious that rubies. Already you are such gems!

I know there are several of you that I have neglected to tell how very much that you impact my life. I am so sorry about keeping those life-giving words to myself. I hope that you know by my actions, but I wanted to carve time out of the evening to write about how you have touched my life. I don't even have to write your names as you can probably recognize "our story" as friends. I appreciate you for being faithful and unflappable (that is kind of a funny word). I appreciate you for being honest and full of integrity towards our friendship. I appreciate your heart for me and how unselfish you are. I appreciate you willing to personally sacrifice for our friendship. I appreciate you being willing to go the extra mile and be uncomfortable, be inconvenienced and loving me in spite of my crazy and chaotic self. Please realize that it has not gone unnoticed by me.

I know, I can be, at times, a dramatic and passionate individual. You have all seen it (and heard it) first hand. Please don't think it is the drama coming to the surface when I say that I sincerely and honestly love you girls. I don't want to be someone who realizes the blessing and beauty of what they had after it is gone. Given my recent thoughts on what friendship really is and how is that played out in life, your specific friendships have become all the more important to me. You "shine like stars in the universe" (Phil 2:15) of selfish relationships and those that are strictly in it for what they can get out of it. Your fingerprints left on my life have taught me, encouraged me, characterized me, supported me and left me better for knowing you and who the Lord made you to be. I pray that I, in some small way, have be used by God to build you up as well. I thank you for sharing a little bit of your life with me. My life is richer for it.

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:8 and it says:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable

- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy

- think about such things.

So, in accordance with God's word, I think about each of you.

May God bless you truly in everything He has set out for you to do.

I am rooting for you!!!