The Blessings of Friends

Wow, am I blessed! Today I was reflecting upon the amazing friends that God has placed in my life. I know they are not there by chance, but that God has placed them there with a specific purpose.

I am blessed by friends of old. Those friends who have been around awhile and seen me through many stages of life. Even some since childhood. Now that is special! I think these friends are so special to me because they've been with me through my whole process of transformation that God has put me on. Believe me, I know I'm not done with my "process" or that I'm completely transformed, but know that it's a continuous work in me. The friends that have seen me change and be molded to be filled more with Him, obviously cannot deny the goodness of God in my life. (Because there is NO WAY that I can deny His goodness in my life!)

And then there are the friends who have been on this "growing up spiritually" journey together. Some of my most precious friends are those who have "matured" spiritually together with me at the same time. It's been so great learning, growing, and just processing together what God is doing in our lives.

Then there are the friends that are just now coming into my life. Oh how precious they are too! I just spent about 2 hours over lunch, with a precious new friend. The whole time was spent sharing our "life stories", encouraging one another, and just plain ol' Praisin' God for His faithfulness. It is so sweet to meet new friends who are on the same spiritual road as yourself.

God brings these special friends into our lives to encourage us, strengthen us, bless us, uplift us, and challenge us. I love where friendship is true, "Iron sharpening Iron". Our lives are meant to be shared. I believe we need to be so very thankful for each special person God has brought into our lives. Yes, there are "seasons" of friendship, and sometimes it's just easier to have friends than others. But friends are worth investing in. Yes, we're busy. Yes, we don't seem to have enough time in our days. But we need to nourish our friendships, just like we would nourish other relationships in our lives.

So I say thank you to my friends of old, and of new, for being such special treasures in my life. I am encouraged by you and who you are. I am truly blessed.