The gift of friendship is truly a blessing from God. I’m so grateful for the friends God has put in my life, who help me up when I am weak from the armor of protection I put on, but then fall under its weight. I’m thankful they continue to love and accept me without judgement. I am beyond grateful for the ladies who pray with me and for me, for the ones who laugh with me, cry with me and encourage me when it feels like the worries of life are caving in on me. Though my cares sometimes feel petty and insignificant, they listen. They validate my feelings, but also encourage me to rise above it in a gentle way. Knowing that I am vulnerable, they cover me with understanding.
There are so many friends that I cherish and they all bring different things, but they all bring joy to my heart! ♥️
God never intended for us to do life alone. Friendships require being present, they also require real conversations, and vulnerability.
It is necessary to spend time together. Nothing can replace time spent curating a real friendship. It’s more than a text or running into her at the common places you find yourself in. Proximity does not replace intimacy. It’s value cannot be replaced.
Trust is important. There’s a feeling of safety that comes with a well-seasoned and aged friendship. It only comes with time and experiences you walk through together. This is how you get to know the good, bad and the ugly. And sometimes it does get ugly…
The true test of a real friendship really isn’t all the fun times and laughs you have. Although that is no doubt, part of it. The true test of a real friendship is when the hard thing comes and how you get through it. It’s not when things are going great, but it is truly how you handle the difficult things, the misunderstandings, the hurt feelings and offenses. It is your acceptance of that person despite their faults. It’s being there when your friend isn’t that much fun because she is going through something really difficult. That’s when you know. That’s when you can truly say, “We’ve been through thick and thin!”
Be the friend you want to have and leave the masks and fear behind. Get real, forgive, walk in humility and choose love. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who is confident, but yet walks with humility. It is the opposite of proud, but yet it is strong. It is true confidence. It is true grace. It is true freedom! This woman has the favor of God and this woman is strong. There is a weightiness and depth she possesses that only God can give.
Her friends are the same. They have been through the fire together and they have not been burned. They know things about each other that they have taken to God in prayer and have seen Him change the circumstances! They have experienced God moving mountains and restoring the broken pieces. They link arms and hold up the weak and carry their burdens until they are strong enough to stand again. They are the watchmen on the wall for one another!
A friendship with God in the center is so incomparable and rewarding that it leaves a mark. You are changed by it. You are stronger for it.
If you haven’t experienced this and don’t have these people in your life, take inventory. I’m not saying throw everyone away that isn’t making you happy right now. What I am saying is that we are called to love everyone, but we also need an inner circle that is safe. Even Jesus had his twelve and even within the twelve, there were three He was closest to. Find those people. Invest in those who invest in you. Choose those who choose you. Link arms with them. Be that woman for them, emulate it, be the example of authenticity, forgiveness, love and humility and watch how women with the heart for God reciprocate. It’s not a one way street or an unbalanced feeling of all take and no give. It’s life-giving… life-changing. It multiplies and God blesses it.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
The Walk 