The God of Bizarre Friendships.
It's Valentine's. Today I want to share the stories of 3 friendships that taught me something new about Love within adult friendships. While every relationship has their own story, and there are many within each one, I wanted to share these 3 with you today that taught me such huge heart & life Lessons, helping step into deeper friendships, and ultimately, God's sweet Love for Him, and others.
I pray these will be a source of encouragement for you too!
The first one is the Friend I DIdn't Know Needed Me too:
When we first meet someone, our first thoughts are usually along the lines of how we receive them into our heart. She taught me that perhaps I was the blessing she needed...the other half of the iron sharpening.
She came to our church in the role of a Pastor's Wife. God immediately knitted us together which was a bizarre thing for me to connect in heart so quickly. I love people, so liking is one thing...connecting is way different because it involves trust.
God knitted us together for such a time as this. I was feeling called into rising up into Leadership and growing in my courage and confidence, and she was the perfect Mentor and Friend to pull me up and out. We were the perfect partnership in ministry together.
My trusted friendship meant a lot to her during that time too as she too was praying for a sweet connection with someone.
What a Gift.
The second one is the Friend I Didn't Want
When the Lord moved us out of state for a Sabbatical year to focus on Him and each other as a family of 6, being the shy-ish Introvert I am, I hadn’t planned for new friendships in Florida. But God had other plans! Her out going, kind, gift of encouragement and hospitality self was actually what I didn't know I needed for my Sabbatical with the Lord. I didn’t imagine have a friendship with another would be a precious part of my deepening my relationship with the Lord. But indeed, He uses others as His hands holding our hearts here on earth! How bizarre.
What a Gift.
The third one is a Friend Who I Hadn't Prepared For
Usually when you room with someone, you know them. This one was a roomie assignment as a Women’s Conference I attended out of state for New to Ministry Women. I had no way of “preparing” myself for her It was actually the first time I ever was brave enough to be paired up with someone I didn’t know. Hello Shy Introvert. But this was a deep surrender season.
Ended up that this was her first time to share a hotel with someone she didn’t know anything about either.
She almost backed out last minute because she was afraid of being a downer. She recently had experienced a miscarriage and didn’t feel like she would have the energy (physically or emotionally) to be available to someone else. She worried about being misunderstood in her down time.
How sweet it was when I told her to cuddle up and come sit with me on the bed. The released breath she exhaled when I told her I did understand the emptiness and grief, sadness and anger she was experiencing. I had experience 3 miscarriages, all requiring surgery too. How bizarre.
What a Gift.
We don’t always know the purposes of where God leads, but we can trust He certainly has a plan far beyond what we could expect and when we surrender to His plan, we have the Gift of Friendship with Him to see Him do exceedingly and abundantly more than we even thought possible!
What a Gift! Thank You Lord for the Gift of Friendships created by You, for You! May we focus more on how we bring YOU glory through the people you place in our path. That is FUN! Amen!
If today's encouragement hugged your HEART today, let me know in the comments or meet me over
in my Facebook Sisterhood Community! Feel free to share this blog with a friend who needs a heart hug too!
This is how YOU get to hug my HEART back!
Heart Hugs and Blessings,
Michele
