It’s been a crazy-busy April, and last week I thought I’d crumble in a heap on the floor. But you know what saved me from a complete meltdown?
My friends.
And not quite in the way you’d think.
You see, I firmly believe that friendship is a two-way street, an ebb and flow of encouragement, of giving and receiving, of talking and listening. Like a good marriage, I believe friendship takes time to develop deep roots, to bear good fruit. And when we are allowed to partake of that slow-ripening fruit, it is always sweet to the taste and leaves us craving more.
My friends helped me this week by listening, laughing and offering encouragement, but they also helped by sharing their hearts and letting me shoulder a piece of their burdens and their joys, as well. It felt gratifying to give grace, not just receive it, to know another person deeply, not just be known, to remember that no matter the chaos in my inner world, I am allowed to bless others with a peace that comes only from the Holy Spirit working through me on their behalf.
True, mutual friendship blasts away lies of our insignificance, for the Lord created us for relationship. When I am a friend and I have a friend, I understand a little bit more the way Jesus loves me and the way He desires for me to love Him.
I hope you have those kinds of friendships, too. If so, celebrate them today by telling your friends how much their friendship means to you. And commit again to nurture that relationship so it will bear beautiful fruit.
