So a friend reminded me that I even had this blog today. Because let’s be honest with how 2021 went I 100% forgot. Till she sent me some of my own words. But then we got to talking and I realized something. I made it. I survived 2021 the year that almost beat me. Several times 2021 almost won and it won a few battles but not the war. Because here I am 18 days into 2022 and I’m still here. Down and out with Covid at the moment but I’m here.
Talking with my friend got me thinking about friendships and how they are used by God to help us when we can’t help ourselves.
My Facebook memories popped up today 12 years ago my van died when my family was out of town and I called my friend who lived closest to where it died at the time. That night became the first time I ate dinner and spent the night at her house because her mom didn’t want me stuck at my house with no vehicle. Flash forward 12 years I now live in that friends house (it was Ashley) that would be just the first time she helped me when I couldn’t help myself. There have now been way to many times to count.
But then I was thinking about how many times the friend I was talking to had helped me. How much we had grown in the last nearly 8 years of our friendship.
Something I don’t often talk publicly about is how I struggle with depression and when that depression is really bad I tend towards semi-suicidal thoughts. Because my brain literally tells me there is no point to my existence and that it’s not doing any good for anyone having me around. But as I told my friend today every single time those thoughts have ever come across my mind God either sends a friend who doesn’t even know what they are doing or gives me the strength to reach out to a trusted friend.
Which was a whole other thought. “Trusted” friend what does that even mean. But I realized it’s the friends I’ve created community with. Who I’ve shared and they have shared the darkest parts of ourselves and still look at each other and say I love you with my whole heart.
But for some reason that’s really hard to do with God. Why I don’t know. Maybe it’s the lack of face to face, but then I think about He is the one who sends the trusted friends. So maybe in those moments we get to “be Jesus” for our friends and vise versa and we don’t even realize it.
How many times does that happen? That we get to be the hands of Jesus for someone with out realizing it. Sometimes it’s as simple as being a listening ear, sometimes it’s covering a bill when someone is short on cash or it could be as simple as a smile for someone having a bad day.
As the song says “Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I love you” because you never know how much it will mean to the person you’re talking to.