I spent most of the day cleaning house, the basic stuff that needed doing: vacuuming, sweeping, having and/or helping the kids to straighten their rooms, etc. Just normal stuff that gets done frequently around here, but not frequently enough to keep the place spotless! I have 2 boys, after all! I knew we had a visitor coming in the evening, so I, of course, like any good housewife would, wanted the place to be better than presentable LOL! My hubby got home sometime around 5:30-5:45, and at 6:25, we had a visitor. Ok, let me start from the beginning on this one! Hah!
I'm lonely here. At one point, I was DEPRESSED lonely. But, God's been helping me with that. I mean, I have my children and my husband, they are wonderful, but I'm hungry for a meaningful, close FRIENDSHIP. I left my dearest of friends (4 of them to be exact) behind 325 miles away when I moved here in February. I'm not a very extroverted person. I make "friends" (i.e. casual acquaintances) easily, but struggle with putting myself out there, stepping outside of my comfort zone, to make lasting relationships. I have no problems making those relationships online with complete strangers I will never see face to face, but whether it be insecurities or trust issues or whatever, I struggle with forcing myself to reach out and create personal relationships. I'm an introvert who likes to feel safe in my own little world. That leaves me a very lonely person a lot of the time. But, on Saturday night, when my husband and I were praying together before going to sleep, and in my heart many times before and since then, I cried out to God begging Him to bring me a friend. A good, close friend that I can sit and drink coffee with and chat about nothing and everything. Someone I can trust to tell my deepest secrets and concerns to, someone who can make me laugh when I'm stressed. Someone who will love me for me, and not for what I can do for them. (As a photographer, you often find yourself with lots of THOSE friendships. I don't mind, so much, because I love using the gift God gave me to minister to others-but those just aren't REAL friendships-they're mission fields.) Just someone who will not only accept my quirks, but cherish them. Obviously, I have all of this in my precious husband, and he is and will forever be my BEST FRIEND, but we're talking a girlfriend, someone I can hang with while he's at work, go shopping with, and just be a woman with. So, anyway.... I have been begging God for THAT friend. I thought I had found her, and not saying she isn't also someone God has for me to have a very special relationship with, we just haven't been able to REALLY connect yet, and she works full time and lives a half hour or so away. We text frequently, and I value her encouragement and friendship, and do very much hope to have some time to hang with her, because I've really enjoyed her company the few times we have hung out. But, I need more than what we've been able to have so far.
So, Monday I received a Facebook message from a new friend at church, someone that I've been able to make a connection with a couple of times in after service chats, but it hasn't really gone any farther than that. Why? Because I've been too chicken to try. She asked me two questions and gave a request, and asked that I just trust her and she would explain later. She asked my address, what time we normally eat dinner, and told me not to make any plans for dinner on Tuesday night. I sent her the requested info, and wondered for the next 24 hours what she was up to. Last night she showed up with dinner, and explained to me that over the weekend, she saw I was sick, and had been busy, but God kept "smacking her in the head" and screaming at her to bring us dinner. (She's a very outspoken, humorous, sarcastic person. Just my cup of tea!) She pulled her little Bible out of her purse (which happened to be a New Living Translation!) and read us a verse from 2 Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 8:14 NLT
Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need.
Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it.
In this way, things will be equal.
She had seen on Facebook that we are struggling financially, and wanted to encourage us to keep seeking God's will, and to bless us with a meal. We sat and chatted for what felt like hours, getting to know one another better, even though she was already late for a party she was supposed to attend. She didn't rush out, she was beautiful :) My hubby said it was like watching me look into a mirror and have a conversation with myself, we have so much in common! It was perfect It was all God, without a doubt. We asked Him for help in our time of need, and He sent another small, yet HUGE blessing. I asked him for a BFF, and He sent this woman that I already felt a connection to, but wasn't sure if that was from Him or not, and blessed me yet again. What would we do without these every day little blessings from God? He loves us so much that He takes time from, well, running the universe, hearing millions upon millions upon millions of cries much like the ones I'm sending out, to fill 2 small needs for my family. That's how much He loves us. How could I NOT love Him in return?
I look forward to the day when I'm able to be a blessing to someone else in the way that this sweet friend was a blessing to my family yesterday :) It is so much more blessed to give than to receive! (Acts 20:35). It is definitely a blessing to receive God's sweet gifts, but it is so much more blessed to be the tool He uses to give those blessings!
I guess God just wanted me to get started, because once I did, His words just poured into my heart and I couldn't type them out fast enough! I love how He does that ;)
Who are YOU blessing today?
Psalm 119:49-50 NLT
49 Remember your promise to me;
it is my only hope.
50 Your promise revives me;
it comforts me in all my troubles.
it is my only hope.
50 Your promise revives me;
it comforts me in all my troubles.
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