Five Minute Friday - Meet

Five Minute Friday - Meet

     Two months ago I would have insisted that to create and maintain a true friendship you would have to meet that person, in real life.  I would have told you that you couldn't know a person's heart through a screen.  There are very valid reasons for this position.  What that thought does not take into account is what happens when people, who are hungry for authenticity and realness, are brought together by God.  I have discussed #the4500 at length in several other posts.  I am aware that to the outside world it sounds just a wee bit crazy.  Okay, maybe a lot crazy.  Two months ago I would have agreed wholeheartedly.  But it's not.  Talking with these amazing women, reading their words, praying for them, being prayed for by them, sharing heartbreak and victory with them, has changed me.  It has made me more brave than I have been in years.  It has given me the courage to meet with two incredible women, in real life, who are willing to share life with me as well.  These women spread out all over the country have given me confidence, wisdom, and strength.  They have given me books to read, thoughts to ponder, and the encouragement to dream big.  The critical piece of this whole community is the real.  Not one woman has tried to be perfect.  Not one has shown themselves as having it all together.  Not one has made themselves better than another.  Each one of us has come just as we are and shared from our hearts.  We have crossed over the selfie boundary and shared videos so that we can hear and see each other.  We have texted, and messaged, and laughed and cried. All of this points to how needed this real version of life is to all of us.  All of to one extent or the other, is drowning in something.  Our hearts and minds long to hear that we are not alone, we are not crazy, and we might have ideas and thoughts that are worthy of being heard.  Every single person you meet - whether in real life - or on this whole new world of social media - has a struggle.  Every person has a need and a desire.  My hope is that we would start treating each other with more grace, more mercy, and more kindness.  Including ourselves.  

Close - Five Minute Friday

Close requires risk.  It means you are putting your heart out there to trust and care for another person.  It means that someone else now has the power to wound you.  But it also means that you allow someone else to encourage you, build you up, and enrich you.

Close requires work.  It means you spend time being physically close to someone.  It means you spend time talking to someone.  It means you forgive when you are hurt.  And it means asking for forgiveness when you are the one who has done the hurting.

Close requires giving and receiving.  It means that you give of your time, your energy, and your heart.  It means putting someone else's needs and wants above your own.  But you must also receive these same gifts. You have to allow others to give to you.  Which often means being humbled.

Close is a blessing.  Close is friendship and love.  Close is necessary.  God didn't design us to do this alone. He designed us to experience closeness with Himself and with others.  Spend some time today being close. Close to Him and close to those you love.