There are three people, part of my life now, that I did not know three years ago. They do not fall into the category that anyone I know of would classify as “God fanatics” or even ardent followers of God. However, God frequently talks to me through them. Their words are sharp, accurately aimed, and ones that need serious consideration. Their wisdom is deep, far beyond the journey of the mouths they come from. Because of the strength of our friendship, I am able to accept and hear what otherwise would lay discarded in the silence of ignorance and deafness.
Friendships come in many difference sizes and flavors. Some are enduring; the kind that makes a difference how each day plays out in your life. Others exist with people who come in and out of your life and mine at irregular intervals. Though the contact is often broken, the bond that binds us provides the link to pick up and touch in each other's life through brief moments that alter the course of our future. We thirst for the intimacy that is present in both friendship and relationship.
I want to let you know that your advice and words is still making a difference in how I step through the day. The precariousness of my life is make steady by the wise counsel that God gives me, through you and others. I often forget and stumble on. I fail to follow the path I know to be true. I strike the very relationships I want to nurture.
The wonder of it all is how God's words life and restore. Compassion is a big word that I often find hard to describe. When I stop and reflect the ways it plays out in my life and those around me provides endless definitions. I experience mercy instead of judgement. I find acceptance instead of criticism. The offer of partnership is waiting for me, not competition.
Take Solomon's advice. “Good friend, take to heart what I'm telling you, collect my counsels and guard them with your life.” (Proverbs 2.1)
