The gift of friendship

I recently told a friend that I cry in movies and he seemed to see me in a new light. I had been re-watching Denzel Washington's Man on Fire and I just couldn't help the tears. I remember another movie that made my eyes glisten with tears. It is called 'the ultimate gift'. I do not remember all the seven gifts this young man was supposed to appreciate before he got his 100 billion dollar inheritance but I remember the gift of friendship. He had to beg a smart mouthed 9 year old girl and her mother to be his friends because he had realised he had no real friends when he lost all his money. Friendship is a gift we usually take for granted, I think. Not everyone you talk to daily is your friend, friendship involves a lot more.

I am the kind who usually keeps to myself and over the years the Lord has been teaching me how to open up and let other people in. Not to just focus on being friends to them but to allow them to be my friends too. Of late, I've been feeling a new found appreciation for my friends, and not just because they have been there through the hard times but with every passing day, God blesses me so much through them.

I decided a while back that I was tired of treating my life like a guessing game. I am tired of trying out a million paths before I figure out which one works. I refuse to date a gazillion men in search of a husband and I will no more send in applications for jobs that are not mine. If it is mine, it is mine and I will get it. So, I started on this journey of asking God for specific direction, nothing is too small and nothing is too big to ask God about. God speaks directly to me, yes, but sometimes He has spoken through my friends. I had a talk with a friend last week which helped clear up something that had been a very big problem for the longest time, and for the longest time, I had asked myself questions and answered them, never seeking counsel. A conversation with another friend even shed more light on the matter.

"It's through fellowship that He makes certain things clear" a friend told me earlier today. Last night I had one of the most beautiful fellowships ever. I had not had such amazing one on one sharing in a very long time. As are most good things, it was totally unplanned, we just happened to run into each other and spent the next 3 hours talking. It was beautiful listening to his heart concerning certain things, him listening as I shared from my heart. It is always exciting to realise you might be hearing the same things from God as someone else. I am grateful. For today, for this week, I give thanks for the gift of friendship. Thank you Jesus.