Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, “What, you too? I thought I was the only one.” C.S. Lewis
You live with me – stuck in the same world where digital dialogue diminishes the capacity to connect – really connect. So, how can we get unstuck from abbreviated messages in the middle of a micro moment of rush-and-do to try and actually show up in life?
Spending time with friends is an extravagant gift, so these past few days have been a special time of sweet communion with grace-friends to catch up, breathe, pray and connect.
You know, the kind of friends who love to chat over God and miracles and the deep meaning of life . . . those kind. The ones who know how to mourn or celebrate right along with you . . . those kind. The kind who don’t make you feel weak when you cry over the rare and intense – and love when you laugh, because they weren’t sure you had one left inside you. And neither did you.
Those kind – the indispensables.
I try not to take for granted the many true friends I have in my life – a sweet balance of keepsake buddies of old who were there from the beginning and the keepsake new I’ve met along the way, who seem like they’ve been there all along. And so, I don’t like to neglect a one, but maybe like me, you fall into the same cyber-pit and only keep connected by a string of letters. And the heart gets lost within the iCloud.
So we need to unplug and plug in . . . to people.
A beautiful biblical account of friendship is in the short story of Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Each one helped the other through very different ages and stages of life. In-laws in-love, who wanted the best for the other. I think of what my life’s journey would be without the shelter of holy connections placed along my broken path. God has kindly placed more than one Naomi or Ruth to lend a hand to help untangle the snags in my life.
Maybe you can identify by name the women who have invested into the different seasons of your life. If you can, be grateful to realize the Naomi in that moment doesn’t have to be older than you to be a wise mentor.
I know quite a few younger women older than me. In wisdom.
A sister-ship is of hearts fused together that offers a safe place to sit down. I have a friend Jessie, who says it this way . . . “We are never beyond the age of learning more about one of the greatest gifts God has given us – friendship.” And if you would like to experience a deeper understanding of the beauty of friendship, you can read her book, Friendship, Sisters for a Journey available on www.MoreOfHimMinistries.org.
Bio: Verna Bowman is an author and speaker and has been involved in ministry leadership for over
twenty years. Her writings have appeared in Power for Living, Guideposts, Chicken Soup series, Woman’s Day magazine and several Christian periodicals. Verna publishes a blog, Encouraging Women One Story at a Time on her website at www.VernaBowman.com. Her passion is to inspire confident trust in God to others through story and biblical insight. Verna, a recent widow, has four adult children, five grandchildren and resides in Pennsylvania.
(Little Girls Friends image courtesy of www.Pixabay.com)
