Almost as amazing

There’s a ton of things I could write about today. It’s been a long day. I could talk about how gorgeous the northern Virginia weather was, how pristine the cherry blossoms look; I could recap CJ Mahaney’s amazing sermon, but don’t know what else to do then but cut and paste and reveal how much of a sinner I am, which I’m pretty sure you all already know well; or I could be really sappy or self-pitying, which you also know I’m pretty good at. But I’ve just decided to write on something else, something hopefully a little more uplifting, something… true.

When was the last time you looked around and realized how blessed you were with friendships? I was in a situation today where my soul was downcast in a way I’ve never quite felt before. All I could hear was my heartbeat and breathing; one was pounding, and the other was too slow to be belivable. When I finally found words to pray, all that came out was something like, “God, I can’t do this alone.” And after a while he said, “Of course. I never asked you to. I am here. And…” I blinked. “And what?” I thought perilously. “And look around,” He nudged.

So I did, and I was blown away. I was surrounded by people I loved, which is not unusual for me. But these same people whom I loved knew me, and were surrounding me, and – you know what? – they love me, too.

I guess that’s just hard for me to get sometimes. I forget they’re not just there as some sort of ambiguous taking up space in my life. God has placed them there to pray for me, to hold me when I need to be held, and the fact that imperfect people would choose to love me is almost as amazing as a perfect God stepping down from the Heavenlies so that He could romance me into His kingdom.

And to those friends I am forever in debt. Not because you love me… but because you’re setting an example of obedience to our Father in Heaven. And it blows me away. God knows I’ve needed you, and that is precisely why you’re here. You don't have to stay, but you do. And I am forever grateful.