A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed
One of the things I love, appreciate, adore about this wonderful world of blogging is the relationships that can be built via the web. I've already met some of the most precious women out there and I love that we're connecting on a real level, not the "oh you're such a wonderful writer how do you do it" basis, but a level where we can yell at each other over something silly, apologize and then know that we've reached new heights in acceptance and grace. A sisterhood where each can be herself and not feel embarrassment or shame. And where we can see each other in a bathing suit and not compare body parts – or lack of body parts in my case. These are some things that I think I was searching for when I started blogging; I just didn't know it.
Many bloggers I've not met (yet), but I know that if I need a good "come to Jesus" talk or a shoulder to cry on, they are there at a moment's notice. Sometimes they even call to talk with me for my maximum talk time. It's a situation that I love to reciprocate as well.
Just yesterday, Laurel Wreath needed such a vent time. I won't go into all the details, but she's received some bad news about a good friend (cancer), her church is still feeling the effects of a very disruptive sin, Wednesday was a restart day that led to her starting the day with a talk with a policeman and being locked out or her office – the office where she is the lone employee. Her email ended with her saying that she's not really feeling the presence of God right now.
Has any of us ever wanted a restart day? Oh my lands… I cannot count those days for there are many. I lost track at 4,268, and I'm not even to my college days yet!
Have any of us ever felt alone, even though we know that God Almighty is with us every step of the way? Loneliness, table for one, I say.
Have any of us ever spent time on our knees for someone else, hoping that God will answer our prayers our way? Kelli, anyone?
Knowing that I've been in her position time and time again, I wrote back to her, offering support as best as I could from 2,000 miles away.
Then I asked if I could use it for a post, and she gracefully agreed and approved it. Perhaps it will offer you some encouragement as you're making you're way through your turbulent days as well.
Oh LW… I'm so sorry for the turbulence that is disrupting your life and more importantly your walk with God. You should be proud (in a good way) that you and your man have kept it together for the past 14 years. Marriage seems to be a dying art form only because this present generation lived through horrible modeling and they have been fooled into thinking that sex and/or selfishness is the most important thing(s) in life.
Let this time of mourning be a healing time for you. God has so many things to teach you, but it is only through fire that gold is refined. The fire hurts and so does the shaping/pounding/hardening time afterwards, but what you will be in the end is a shining example of Christ.
You're not alone in feeling like a judgmental, sorry sinner. Throw in stubborn, mean and selfish and you'll have me to a T, too. But remember that with God NOTHING is impossible, even the changing of your (and my) heart. Remember that feelings have nothing to do with fact. God's words are fact, but we're foolish to judge his facts against our feelings which are changing, temperamental and irrational for the most part (at least mine are.)
Love you!
Shalee
PS. I have to tell you that in the middle of responding to your email, I ran to empty the coffee pot of yesterday's coffee. When I returned to my office door, I found myself locked out. With no one here yet due to the snow, wrecks and extremely slow drivers out on the road. I sat on the stairs, which thankfully was inside but only bare-thread carpeted, and I thought of you and your post from yesterday. I totally get that sense of helplessness and frustrations of knowing exactly how to get in if only you had the right keys. Maybe God's showing us that we've got the right tools all along, but we have to make sure that we know where they are at all times, keeping them close to us so that we won't be locked out from feeling his love/grace/acceptance.
Oh, and my landlord walked up the stairs (he doesn't office here), saw me and sweetly let me in. Sometimes God shows us that we need to let others help us when we've locked ourselves out. The keys are universal.
Or maybe I'm making too much out of it and he's just telling us to drink more coffee in the morning so that we won't do stuff like this anymore.
Many bloggers I've not met (yet), but I know that if I need a good "come to Jesus" talk or a shoulder to cry on, they are there at a moment's notice. Sometimes they even call to talk with me for my maximum talk time. It's a situation that I love to reciprocate as well.
Just yesterday, Laurel Wreath needed such a vent time. I won't go into all the details, but she's received some bad news about a good friend (cancer), her church is still feeling the effects of a very disruptive sin, Wednesday was a restart day that led to her starting the day with a talk with a policeman and being locked out or her office – the office where she is the lone employee. Her email ended with her saying that she's not really feeling the presence of God right now.
Has any of us ever wanted a restart day? Oh my lands… I cannot count those days for there are many. I lost track at 4,268, and I'm not even to my college days yet!
Have any of us ever felt alone, even though we know that God Almighty is with us every step of the way? Loneliness, table for one, I say.
Have any of us ever spent time on our knees for someone else, hoping that God will answer our prayers our way? Kelli, anyone?
Knowing that I've been in her position time and time again, I wrote back to her, offering support as best as I could from 2,000 miles away.
Then I asked if I could use it for a post, and she gracefully agreed and approved it. Perhaps it will offer you some encouragement as you're making you're way through your turbulent days as well.
Oh LW… I'm so sorry for the turbulence that is disrupting your life and more importantly your walk with God. You should be proud (in a good way) that you and your man have kept it together for the past 14 years. Marriage seems to be a dying art form only because this present generation lived through horrible modeling and they have been fooled into thinking that sex and/or selfishness is the most important thing(s) in life.
Let this time of mourning be a healing time for you. God has so many things to teach you, but it is only through fire that gold is refined. The fire hurts and so does the shaping/pounding/hardening time afterwards, but what you will be in the end is a shining example of Christ.
You're not alone in feeling like a judgmental, sorry sinner. Throw in stubborn, mean and selfish and you'll have me to a T, too. But remember that with God NOTHING is impossible, even the changing of your (and my) heart. Remember that feelings have nothing to do with fact. God's words are fact, but we're foolish to judge his facts against our feelings which are changing, temperamental and irrational for the most part (at least mine are.)
Love you!
Shalee
PS. I have to tell you that in the middle of responding to your email, I ran to empty the coffee pot of yesterday's coffee. When I returned to my office door, I found myself locked out. With no one here yet due to the snow, wrecks and extremely slow drivers out on the road. I sat on the stairs, which thankfully was inside but only bare-thread carpeted, and I thought of you and your post from yesterday. I totally get that sense of helplessness and frustrations of knowing exactly how to get in if only you had the right keys. Maybe God's showing us that we've got the right tools all along, but we have to make sure that we know where they are at all times, keeping them close to us so that we won't be locked out from feeling his love/grace/acceptance.
Oh, and my landlord walked up the stairs (he doesn't office here), saw me and sweetly let me in. Sometimes God shows us that we need to let others help us when we've locked ourselves out. The keys are universal.
Or maybe I'm making too much out of it and he's just telling us to drink more coffee in the morning so that we won't do stuff like this anymore.
Labels: Faith, Friendship
posted by Shalee at 6:28 AM
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