My Sister, My Friend

I have been thinking a lot lately about friendships. About the friends that I have had in my life, currently in my life, and just coming into my life. For some reason the subject has been on my mind a lot lately, and I have been wanting to blog about it, but couldn't find the words, until tonight.

I have always been blessed socially. I had amazing friends growing up, and I always manage to run into someone I know out in everyday life. Simply because I was active. I wasn't shy, and I loved spending time with people. Most importantly, I loved making them laugh, and being able to be there for them when they needed someone. I felt satisfied knowing that my friends turned to me when they were going through a hard time. My friendship circle has just gotten deeper in my late teens into my adult hood. I have a handful of friends that have been in my life 10+ years. We understand eachother. We turn to eachother. We love eachother. I never understood why this happened to me. Why I needed to be surrounded all the time by people I loved. Why it was hard for me to be alone. And why I, growing up had many many friends. Until tonight. As women, we crave friends. We need to have friends in our lives. It's in us. The craziest part is this. There is no way that your husband(if your married) or children can ever provide you with the relational satifaction and intimacy that you need. Sure, they are everything else for you. But there is something about women friends that draws us in. We need that relationship.

Things change when you get married, have children, move out. Circumstances change, situations change, and sometimes friendships change. But the best part is this. We can change with it. We choose to follow. We choose to stand up, and change with the world, and not lose what is precious to us. We adapt to things. I read in a book tonight, these two lines that floored me.

"Women friends become the face of God to one another- the face of grace, of delight, of mercy" (Captivating Pg. 404)
"When God gives a friend, he is entrusting us with the care of another's heart. It is a chance to mother and to sister, to be a life giver, to help someone else become the women she is created to be, to walk alongside her and call her deep heart forth"(Captivating Pg 405)

And I thought, that's it! To be entrusted with someone's heart. To be rational. To be lovely. To be delighed in. To be gracious. To be heavenly. A women's heart is a vast and beautiful thing. One that is complicated, beautiful, and worth seeking out. To be pursued. Friendship is worth fighting for. It's worth that extra 5 minutes to write someone a nice note. To call someone first instead of waiting for a call. To spend "face time" with eachother. It, like women's hearts need to be pursued. Needs to be nurtured. The line "to be a life giver" made me think really hard about it. Being a life giver is more than having children. It's a priveledge that we as women hold. Don't get me wrong, men are life givers too. It's that support that you need. It's that life altering touch. The mother's heart in all of us.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Ruth 1:16

There are women in my life, who, have touched my heart in amazing ways. Who have held my hand, while we sit in silence and cry, totally understanding, that in that moment that's what I needed. Women that hug me a little bit longer, just because. There is understanding, love, mercy, grace, forgiveness. Friendships that have stood the test of time. Women who have blessed my life. To those women, I say thank you. Thank you for pursuing, for entrusting me with your heart. Friendship truly is a gift. Thank you friends, for being just that, my friends.