Old Friends

Tonight, we are expecting some good, "old" friends to join us for dinner. It has been years since we served the same church together. Those years bonded us together, so the time that has transpired in the mean time is really no big deal. I fully expect us to pick up right where we left off.

When last we met, their six year old daughter had just been born. I remember crying as I held that little answered prayer that her parents had waited years for God to provide. My ten year old was the age my Piper is now, four. God had already led us away from that sweet church, but they were still ministering there.

In the years that have passed, a lot has changed. While my husband is in the same ministry position, they serve a different congregation in Missouri. They are preparing to send their daughter to first grade in the same month we expect the arrival of our third. God has brought various experiences and people in and out of all of our lives. We have all grown in our relationship with Him and we are not the same.

Despite all the changes, we still know their hearts for our God and they know ours. We still share a passion for serving Him and seeing Him glorified. We still understand the precarious positions we can find ourselves in in ministry.

This evening, we will talk about the old times as we relive inside jokes and start stories with "Remember when...." We will share new stories about what God has done in each of our lives and families since we were last together. We will look to the future as we openly and honestly share with a couple that we each explicitly trust.

Friends like these, especially in the ministry, are a true blessing and, all too often, much too rare. God has provided various kinds of friends at each place He has called us to serve. Sometimes, He didn't provide friends like this couple, and taught us to lean more on Him. Sometimes, He ministered to us through friends like these.

I thought it might be neat to use the comment section to write simple "Thank You" prayers for Old Friends. Even if it was just for a season, I am grateful for the time I have had with these "Old Friends." I will start us off . . .

Then I had better help Wally in the kitchen! He has gotten both the baked beans and the hash brown casserole in the oven. Now he is making the hamburger patties! Have I ever mentioned how thankful I am that God gave me a man who can cook AND enjoys doing so?