this week I had the privilege of spending time with my dear friend Sarah. I had a doctor appointment not far from her place so she graciously drove there to meet me then took Miss Ava with her while I was in the doctor. after my appointment there I drove to Sarah's place where I was, as usual, greeted with warmth and hugs and all around made to feel like I was the most important person in the world. she fed me a scrumptious lunch and while we enjoyed that we talked and giggled and ranted and got misty eyed, you know all those special things girl friends do when they are together, and then she again opened her heart and home and gave up hours of doing things for her family and home to care for Miss Ava while mama went for some lab work. after this I came back to her house to pick up my little Ava love to find the dear lady had made coffee and had a to go cup and all the wonderful fixings I love in my coffee ready and waiting for me to take with to keep alert and awake and SANE!! I left there with a hug and a smile and the feeling of refreshment and thankfulness that God created friends who connect and want relationships and are okay with needing each other and being there for each other no matter what the "forecast" in life is predicting or showering on you at any given moment. from Sarah's I headed down to Greenville Delaware to another dear friends place. My friend Susan and I have been together through much sunshine and mucho manure pits!!!!! TOTALLY SERIOUS!! but that would require a book...and who has the time, or a decent publisher?!! anyway, Susan, when I arrive, always runs out the door to my vehicle and waits with open arms while I extract my travel weary body from the confines of my seat belt and as soon as the door opens and I'm free I'm engulfed in a warm welcoming hug complete with a kiss and from that moment on Miss Ava and I are cared for like royalty!! we are cared for and catered to and loved on in this house by this dear friend from the moment we arrive until we say goodbye, and always assured that we are welcome to come as often as we like, stay as long as we choose and help ourselves to whatever we need, even if she would not be home, it's always open to our use as our home away from home. blessed I am indeed, with friends such as these two dear hearts, but they are only two, I have so many more precious soul sisters, heart friends, besties if you will, that have been a gift to my life, key friend hearts. they come in all shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, and personalities each one has played an important role in my care and well being at whatever time our relationship started, at whatever crossroad, storm, moment of rejoicing, or weeping, etc. that my journey took me at that precise moment. there are some friends who are still very dear though I rarely see them. and theres some friends who were only for a season however long or short they were put in my life, not that we don't like each other but our paths are different, we are at different points in our life where maybe we don't have quite as much in common or responsibilities of various natures take us down different roads. I have friends who've stood quietly by as rock solid support systems, friends that have encouraged me to try new things, be daring, adventurous, (Paula, that one has your name all over it I believe :) friends that have encouraged me that it'll be OK, yes your old she said but your strong enough to do this and be OK, then one day while camping she took me by the hand and dragged me to a gas station where we stocked up on cherry coke, Dr. pepper, ice cream and threw in a pregnancy test. ( OK sorry, Beth, I don't remember you saying I was old, but I'm sure you were thinking it, wink wink) :) anyway we tried to keep from busting up and we couldn't quite meet the cashiers eye but to me it was huge that my friend was willing to push me to get results instead of freaking out. we saved the freaking out till after she dropped me off at the campground restroom and read the test!! all these things in our journey of life, all these big and not so big moments make up who we are and become, they literally can make us or break us and having tried and true REAL soul sisters by your side to face each moment can be a key factor to how you will emotionally, mentally physically handle life. I mean it's so much more painless picking up the pieces with a heart friend when a moment breaks us than doing it alone, it's so much more beautiful and momentous rejoicing over a "make us" moment with a true kindred spirit than grinning quietly by yourself. I know I'm a needy soul, I'm not to big to admit that, :) but I truly am thankful for each friend I've been given, Laura I can always count on to up for a coffee and chat and encouragement, my friend Jo from waaaaayyyyy, yes!! WAAAYYYY!! out in Montana is always ready to chat, can read me like a book and can without fail make me laugh. Miriam, is rock solid, always there with hugs and random I love you friend texts when I need them even after weeks of not seeing each other, another one of those friends that have waded through many flooded raging waters with...Jamie, one of the best gifts given to me out of the ugliness of cancer, one who can understand the hurt and tears in a way most others can't, one who brightens my world with, hi sister, love you texts..... ahhhh the list goes on, each one of these dear girls, (and so many more I haven't named) were heaven sent, put into my life as a gift, a care package, if you will, from God himself to help me navigate this journey of life. I know without a doubt I would be a lost miserable lonely soul without each one of them. and the most beautiful part of this is none of them made me go through a ritual or ceremony to be their friends, it was never a as long as being friends with you benefits me attitude, no, each one loved me accepted me chose to be my friend for me!! (told you I was blessed :)
when I think of these relationships, friendships, soul connections, I wonder at times if this is not how Christ longs for the church to look. I wonder if Christ looks at His church, and by His church I don't mean like the church I/you attend, I mean the body of Christ, those who have chosen Him, the true church, I wonder if He longs for that church to be the "care package" to, not just the world, but also to those who are put in our path, Christian or non Christian that are hurting, lost , lonely, struggling, seeking....... personally I think we make church to complicated, we think it's all about membership and numbers, we don't accept folks and use their gifts unless they go through certain ceremonies and rituals and are then pronounced qualified to earn a place in a book proclaiming to whoever would pick up the book and read it that these people are this church. Christ said if you believe on me you are my church! and with that relationship with him comes the responsibility of being a part of the care package. being part of Christ's church, His care package should look like........a haven for the wondering, a lighthouse for the lost, salve for the wounded, bread for the hungry, comfort for the grieving, a hand up for the fallen, water for the parched, a map for the confused, rest for the weary, sight for the blind, healing for the broken, family to the alone.......I think to many times we look at people and all we see is baggage and ugliness and brokenness and issues and we immediately turn the other way and say well this is "our church" and we don't want messy stuff and trouble and it looks to big and ugly so that's not welcome here and we can't have it and won't allow it cause it could cause a stir, and what would people think and well it's just to messy, and we walk away, or turn them away and people are left to continue in their hurt and brokenness, and neediness......that to me is so sad, cause I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, hello people who claim to be of Christ, we ALL have issues and baggage and ugliness!!! we all have pasts, and scars and hurts, yes, I know some of us worse than others, but, it is after all a part of living in this world, and it is the reason why our dear Lord came to the cross!! for people like us, for people just like we want to ignore, and sometimes, yes, it's us who are already part of the body of Christ that find they need the care package to be there for them! the road of death and loss and sickness and fire and near paralysis and miscarriage would have been infinitely longer and darker had we not had Christ people, soul sisters, heart friends there to pick up the pieces with us, to take our hand, to light our way, and no......they were not all members of the church we attended, they were from all walks of faith, but the goal was the same and they were still part of the "THE CHURCH"!! Christ said, repent, believe and be baptized..... we say, repent, believe, and after we feel you've met and went through all the right procedures and rituals, and if you don't have to much baggage, and if we feel your worthy and your life's not to messy, you'll be baptized and in doing that you become a member of the church.......complications, why do we do this to ourselves?? why can't we take God's word as His word, and not add or take away from it!! why do we put conditions on people and pass judgments and criticize.... Christ's only requirement of us in our ugliness and messed upness was, repent and believe!! so many times we get so caught up I believe in building up the church building by numbers of members we forget were apart of this wonderful care package....we get caught up in requirements and differences of opinions and ways of doing and seeing things, that the part of being a care package is all but forgotten, the church, it's not to be about us at all, but about Christ, but because ourselves and our image and agenda get in the way the hands and feet of Christ are crippled, his light is so dimmed it's of very little use....and we end up making it look so impossible and hard that people say, yea, nah, not for me......that's sad to, cause God's love for us his wanting a relationship with us is not complicated, its simple childlike faith, yes it takes a daily working, but it's simply beautiful!! I just think about our experiences in life and shiver to think about how many times those who are my dearest friends could have said, yea, nah, her life looks to messy, to much baggage, to many issues, so I ain't going there!! or they could have said you know what.... you get this taken care of, get over this, move on from that, then check back and I'll decide than if your worth enough to me or have covered my itinerary good enough to be associated with......or they could have said, on this we differ on, this here I don't agree with, and you allow this and I never did so we can't be friends...NOOO, instead they opened up their hearts and arms and welcomed and blessed me warts, scars, blemishes and all, no questions asked!! THAT IS A CARE PACKAGE FROM CHRIST!! THAT IS CHURCH!! that is healing, cleansing, binding up the wounded, picking up the fallen!! that is being the hands and feet of Christ, getting in and getting dirty, being OK with the ugly and messy and scary! being ok with being different, having the guts to be real, and the honesty to be ok with a differing of opinions on the here nor there differences and issues......
To all my dear soul sisters, for accepting me as I am, loving me unconditionally no strings attached no requirements, for being willing to be used, to be a part of an amazing care package given me..... I thank my God every day upon every remembrance of you!! I only pray, too, that I in turn can be the care package for someone else some day on their journey, whatever that may be!! we all have a different path were called to travel but God allowed our paths to cross for such a time as this, and for that I'm thankful!
