I feel confident that you will be very blessed by this post from Guest Blogger, Tara Blake @ storyofmyheart.org
FRIENDSHIP
“In friendship…we think we have chosen our peers. In reality a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another…the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting–any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,” can truly say to every group of Christian friends, “Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.” The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others.”
CS Lewis
I am not good at making friends – never have been. And I don’t have a lot of friends.
But, before anyone starts to feel sorry for me 
I am totally okay with that!
I am totally okay with that!
Really!!
I am SUCH an introvert and I function perfectly well in public and speaking in front of people is no problem for me, but sometimes I find small talk to be absolutely exhausting!
I NEED quiet time and I don’t get much of it these days, surrounded by high school-ers all day and little boys at night.
I can count on one hand my really close friends, and two of those are my sisters.
So, for me, making a new friend, especially as an adult, is a HUGE deal.
I now count Melissa as one of those friends on one hand. My first new friend in over 20 years. And one of only 3 friends who isn’t related to me.
So I know that the friendship that I have found with Melissa is from God. From the day I gave my heart to Christ, God was at work developing and strengthening the bonds between the two of us.
The day I gave my heart to Christ was a Wednesday. I hadn’t been to church in close to 20 years. My sister had been attending church for a little over a year and that evening I went with her. Melissa was leading a women’s Bible study and I don’t remember much other than at the end of the evening Melissa asked each of us to write down things in our life that we wanted her to pray over. As leader, she was going to take these anonymous slips of paper and pray over each of our requests. That evening I remember that I wrote down two things:
1 – that I would continue to grow as a Christian and grow closer to Christ
2 – and I asked for prayer over my marriage
From the moment I met Melissa she began praying for me. Since then we have prayed for one another many, many times. It is hard for the two of us to get together without husbands, kids, and animals, but when we have had the opportunity to meet we have important, heart-felt, Christ centered conversations.
And Melissa offers good advice. It would be easy for the two of to get together and gripe and complain about our husbands, our kids, our lives, but she always offers an alternative to just complaining. She always brings the focus back to Christ and what He can do.
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Proverbs 27:17
I believe that one of the clearest ways we can feel and know God’s love is through the people He places in our lives.
He works through us to love and support one another.
If you have a God given friend, and I hope you do, maybe take a moment today to thank God for her and the ways in which He loves you through her.
And tell her – how much she means to you and how thankful you are to have her in your life.
Allow God to use you to share His love.
(This Blog post was originally published on May 26, 2015, at storyofmyheart.org/general/friendship.)
Wonderfully done Tara! I am so happy to feature these wonderful ladies' Blogs this week!
My favorite line in the above post is "He works through us to love and support one another"! What a wonderful way to look at God given friendships! To think that God has strategically placed our births, and every encounter since, to put us in the midst of the people that we need, and the people that need us, is a shear marvel!
Please pray with me:
Good and Gracious God,
Thank you so much, for Your plans for our lives! As our eyes are opened about how You have placed wonderful people in our paths, to help us, and to need us both; we feel so very blessed by each and every person You place in our lives! Thank you for Your plan!
Amen.
**REMEMBER, there will be a GIVEAWAY on Saturday! Anytime throughout this week (Monday-Friday) you can sign up for my GIVEAWAY of TWO custom magnets, made for the Ministry of FromMyLifeToYourHeart Public Speaking, ONE FOR YOU and ONE FOR A FRIEND!!! All you have to do to register to win, is (1) subscribe to follow my Blog (frommylifetoyourheart.blogspot.com), and (2) post anywhere on Social media, using the hashtag #friendshipweek.
Blessed Friendship week (self-proclaimed) to you all! :)
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