Forever Friends

Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loveth at all times."

We are just recovering from the news of the death of a long time friend. I guess we are never prepared for a link in the chain to be severed, making us feel that the strength of that friendship bond is less. But its not. It was a strong link that lasted a lifetime.

My husband and I grew up as evangelists' children. resulting in having friends all over the country. Our Christmas card list got so long that we felt we needed to shorten it for economic's sake. That was almost impossible.  Most all were dear friends.

John was one of those. He had a personality so big you couldn't ignore him. A friend to us since very small children, he was a colorful part of all our growing up years. He spent a lot of time in both our homes. We spent most summers together in camp meetings all through the Midwest.

In many ways, we grew apart after becoming adults. But we kept in touch. We weren't always in agreement on every issue of life. But nothing ever drove us apart. We reunited every so often with a hug and a short visit. Opportunity handed us a few more of those times together through the last few years. We are so grateful.

Many of our friends gathered on Tuesday to say our final goodbye to John. We were so warmed by the memories and the presence of each other.  John was a true friend. Hats off to his " all times" loyalty.

I see the youth in my life seeking out "forever friends".  I tell them that there are so many facets of friendship.  You won't always understand them until you travel life.

My husband mentioned at John's memorial service, where probably 500 or more were in attendance, that each of us were on John's life timeline. We were there on Tuesday because we were not "had been" friends, but "all time" friends. We were there because we loved him for when he was in our life and for who he was.

I still have so many of you  "forever friends". That interprets that I plan to always be there for you. To all my friends, wherever you are on my timeline, you're still there. I may not talk to you often. But we have memories.  I cherish our friendship and I love you for "all times".

Counting Blessings

Proverbs 28:20a: "A faithful man shall abound with blessings."

My little grandson counts his chickens. "One, two. three, six... thirteen..." Just like him. I count my blessings.  I skip around , talk about the good ones, or choose one to testify about now and then.  And I don't even think about the ones between six and thirteen.

Why?  The little one obviously is still learning to count. But me? I don't always see all of God' s giving as a blessing.

I woke this morning thinking about how stiff and sore I was. It took me awhile to refocus on how much better I am than 6 weeks ago when I took a nasty fall off a ladder. Right then I turned adversity into a blessing.

I often look at my 63 year old self in the mirror and wander how I got here so soon?  But quickly I turn grateful that I am alive to enjoy life, as different as it is from 30 years ago!

I am not happy to be living hundreds of miles from the majority of my children and grandchildren. But I am grateful to have modern technology where I can access pictures, videos, talking and texting.

Counting my blessings causes me to concentrate on what I have, not what I don't have. It is so much easier to grumble than rejoice. Remembering takes more focus than forgetting. Identifying blessings is much harder than just skipping to thirteen from six when I start to count.

And I often look for the blessings recorded in CAPITAL letters: accomplishments, recognition, healings, or honor. But most blessings are disguised to just look like "happenings".What about a sunset on the porch, the fresh smell of newly laundered clothes, the surprise visit of a friend or neighbor? Am I blessed to be one of the faithful few to share prayer meeting tonight? 

This week I've been challenged to not feel overwhelmed at the mounds of dry leaves scattered in the yard. I much prefer them on branches in all their color! But there is some joy in watching God metamorphose nature and the assurance He knows what He is doing. He will bring life again.

I'm not much into cold weather but I love to watch a fire burning.  I am gladly exchanging summer sandwiches for delicious, hot, winter soups. I refuse to dread the long winter when I can experience the beauty of snow. I anticipate the coziness of a cold evening snuggled into a chair beside the fireplace.

So many blessings.....today I've been singing in my heart.

"Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."

I'm counting... trying to name them...trying not to miss a one...

Masks

Proverbs 12:25 " Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop."

I don't celebrate Halloween for obvious reasons. It embraces fear, heaviness and darkness. Don't we all have enough of that in our lives?

Wearing a mask suggests deceit and twisted identity. Yet, I often think we, as people, don't have to put on a literal mask to hide who we really are.  We hide behind fears and insecurities, afraid others will discover the real person and reject us.When put into writing, it seems so childish, doesn't it?

It evolves in childhood. I hid behind shyness and quietness when I was very young. I'm not sure when I traded in that mask for being " talky" and "outgoing".It earned me desired friends and favor with teachers. In middle school, I masked intelligence to gain popularity and a position as class officer.  And still , I struggled with the insecurity of not being accepted.  I  even sacrificed a little integrity to maintain who I was. On into  my teenage years, I qualified as " popular" and " well liked", I suppose, yet I stayed on an emotional roller coaster, putting on changing masks to invite acceptance. I wanted everybody to think I was the greatest! The greatest student, the perfect daughter, the "best" friend, the boys' dream, and a model example in all things!

At the age of 16, I realized that Jesus was the One that really mattered and His acceptance of me was of the most importance. As good as I thought I was, I was broken at my recognition of being a pretender. I experienced an incredible awareness of how needy I was. I began a journey to be what He wanted me to be, disposing of the masks I had been hiding behind.

I'm still on that journey. It's not easy to be genuine and honest and live at risk of rejection. I'd like to say I've been totally successful. But, hurt has pulled me back behind a few masks through life.  It has taken God's unfailing patience, love and assistance in peeling those masks back. It hasn't always been easy to unveil the real me. It is always sobering, but comforting, to know God wants me to be honest and open with Him at all times. I can't hide; he's going to come searching me out!   He will never reject me or leave me hidden in one of my dark places.

I recently had several days to visit with some very transparent friends.  They are so up front with themselves, with others and with God.  I am refreshed in their presence.  People love them. They are just relaxing to interact with.

Its my goal to immediately have people be at ease in my presence. I want to exude freshness, beauty and genuine security to everyone who knows me. That can only come by having one face all the time:  the "me" who lives in the presence of God.