Made in Heaven...for Life by Christie Smith

There are moments that change us. They are moments we remember forever or moments that change the way we live forever. There are great moments that break our hearts for the good… the mission trips and the conferences… holy places that we get to share with friends who are on the same page, the friends in the same season of life or those seeking the same things we seek. But what about the bad moments that change us forever… the moments we don’t choose? The phone call that tells you someone you love has died. The diagnosis that scares you to the core. The struggles over hard choices we have to make for unwanted issues with our kids. Are these not holy places too? In the good times, it’s easy to find people who want to share in the moment. But when we walk with each other into the sacred, holy places that change us, the moments that leave us speechless and begging God to answer our question of “why,” we form bonds that will never be broken. These friendships are refined and strengthened in the fires of life. And these are the friendships that will outlast all others. So, don’t be afraid to share these sacred places with others. We all try to put our best foot forward. We have our “Facebook worthy” masks on and rarely want anyone to see the blemishes in our lives or in our souls. But when we show each other the raw parts of ourselves, places that are still healing, it is an intense kind of intimacy that is sacred. And sometimes, it’s where our world and God’s world collide. His original plan for us was relationship. It’s what we were created for. But I think we seldom, if ever, reach the level of relationship that He intended. We rarely open ourselves up enough to let anyone really know us. And maybe that is because that openness in the past has been met with judgment and criticism instead of love and acceptance. But don’t let that stop you from finding those friends that you can be transparent with, friends that you can trust your heart to. Trust me…they are out there! Sometimes it takes going through those hard times to show you who those friends are. And if you have those “in the furnace of life” type friends, it makes the hard times a little better.

If you’re lucky enough to have this kind of friend, first…thank God!!! Your friendship truly is a gift from Him! Second…tell them! Too often we let thoughts and feelings go unspoken. These friendships are made in Heaven to help us get through the cruelty of this life and to share in the joys as well. And last…invest in them! Live life together, make time for each other and choose to be there through it all.

So, who came to mind when you read this article?

Share this with them and let them know that they mean the world (and the next world) to you!!!