Friendship

“Friends are friends forever, if the Lord is the Lord of them.
And a friend will not say never, cause the welcome will not end.
Though it’s hard to let you go
In the Father’s hands I know
That a lifetimes not too long to live as friends.”
Michael W. Smith

Last week I celebrated yet another birthday. I am not a big birthday person because I rather spend it quietly. I always look forward to the phone call from my sons who poke fun of me and make me laugh. However, it was when I opened my Facebook account that I was shocked. I had birthday wishes from friends all over the world. I knew then that I was a truly blessed woman.

Being a minister’s wife can be a lonely place. We are created to have friends but many of us walk through some days with no friend in sight. Of course, we have our Lord who never leaves us but sometimes we just need a girlfriend. We need her to sit beside us and let us cry. We need her to celebrate in the victories. We need her to laugh with us. We need her to accept us faults and all. That is true friendship.

God has richly blessed me with awesome friends through our 31 years of ministry. God knows I cannot do this impossible task without Him in my life and all my girlfriends encouraging me. I am so thankful for those girlfriends who are honest with me and tell me what clothes I shouldn’t wear. I treasure those girlfriends who think Diet Coke and chocolate chip cookies (or anything chocolate for that matter) make a great meal. I love my girlfriends who pray with and for me. I adore my girlfriends who just want to have fun because life is too short.

Over the years I have learned one important lesson in having true friendships as a minister’s wife. You must ask God to provide those special girlfriends in your life and you must be willing to be real with them. For all my girlfriends out there, I know our friendship will last forever and eternity. As my favorite poet/author, Walt Whitman, stated, “I no doubt deserve my enemies but I don’t believe I deserve my friends.”

Do you have a special friend in your life? If so, take a moment to post a comment about what makes her special. Then, take the time to write this girlfriend a note and tell her how much you treasure her friendship.