Reason #93
I had a friend in college who once told me that friends often come in seasons. I found this odd at the time, thinking that a friend is a friend forever. I now see what she meant by that. I have been blessed with many incredible friends over my 24 years. Some friends I've kept in touch with, some I haven't, and some I've recently reconnected with. I have friends that I see often, friends I see occasionally, and friends I might never see again on this side of Heaven. Regardless, I refer to them each as friends and am always glad for an opportunity to hug their neck. As I've looked back over my years, I have seen how God has strategically placed people in my path. Some people were placed in my path early on, some at a divine time, and some with a future purpose.
On Friday, I got to have lunch with a sweet friend who has blessed my heart in more ways than one. Our paths crossed at an interesting time. I had been job hunting for well over a year trying to find a job to get me out of the place I was currently working. I ended up landing a very short-termed job and just so happened that this sweet friend was my new office mate. Really, we only shared an office for about 4 months, but much more was shared during that period than office space. My friend faced a very devastating loss during that time. Because we were spending a good 8 hours a day together in close proximity, my heart really broke for her. One of the sweetest people I knew was having to face what seemed to be a very unfair situation and I hated watching it from the outside knowing there was nothing I could do to make her feel better. She handled her pain with such poise and grace and I so admired her uplifting spirit. I was amazed at how beautifully she carried herself, knowing that if I had faced the same tragedy, I wouldn't have been able to hold myself together at all. Well, 4 months passed and I was so fortunate to find the job I now have. My sweet friend also found a few job, and through the changes and busy-ness, we didn't stay in close contact.
Fast forward one year and I was facing the most devastating experience I had ever walked through. My sweet friend's husband heard the news from my dad and informed her of what was going on (another cool side story but I won't get into that one right now). She immediately got in touch with me and made plans to take me to dinner that week. Loss is a funny thing. We categorize our losses to determine what would be worse. But to the one who is losing, it doesn't seem that there could be much worse. When our loved ones pass away, our friends are quick to send flowers and bring us meals. Rarely do we take casseroles and house plants over to our friends when their loved one walks out. But my dear friend understood that a loss is a loss. And I remember sitting at Carino's together as she cried with me and stuffed my belly with pasta. She didn't understand the loss I had experienced just as I didn't understand the loss she had experienced, but she grieved with me anyways, and sometimes that's all we need.
On Friday, I got to have lunch with a sweet friend who has blessed my heart in more ways than one. Our paths crossed at an interesting time. I had been job hunting for well over a year trying to find a job to get me out of the place I was currently working. I ended up landing a very short-termed job and just so happened that this sweet friend was my new office mate. Really, we only shared an office for about 4 months, but much more was shared during that period than office space. My friend faced a very devastating loss during that time. Because we were spending a good 8 hours a day together in close proximity, my heart really broke for her. One of the sweetest people I knew was having to face what seemed to be a very unfair situation and I hated watching it from the outside knowing there was nothing I could do to make her feel better. She handled her pain with such poise and grace and I so admired her uplifting spirit. I was amazed at how beautifully she carried herself, knowing that if I had faced the same tragedy, I wouldn't have been able to hold myself together at all. Well, 4 months passed and I was so fortunate to find the job I now have. My sweet friend also found a few job, and through the changes and busy-ness, we didn't stay in close contact.
Fast forward one year and I was facing the most devastating experience I had ever walked through. My sweet friend's husband heard the news from my dad and informed her of what was going on (another cool side story but I won't get into that one right now). She immediately got in touch with me and made plans to take me to dinner that week. Loss is a funny thing. We categorize our losses to determine what would be worse. But to the one who is losing, it doesn't seem that there could be much worse. When our loved ones pass away, our friends are quick to send flowers and bring us meals. Rarely do we take casseroles and house plants over to our friends when their loved one walks out. But my dear friend understood that a loss is a loss. And I remember sitting at Carino's together as she cried with me and stuffed my belly with pasta. She didn't understand the loss I had experienced just as I didn't understand the loss she had experienced, but she grieved with me anyways, and sometimes that's all we need.
Job understood loss. Job's friends didn't understand loss. "When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him... When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words." (Job 2: 11-13) And my sweet friend and I have cried for one another and with one another. Sometimes, we still don't have the words to say because we don't understand. And as I have looked back over the past year and a half, I see how God weaved our paths together. I would have never thought that placing me in that little non-profit office for a few months was a divine appointment, but God knew we needed each other. He knew what I would be facing a year later, and He knew that this sweet friend would be able to relate to me in ways that no one else could. He knew I would need her encouraging words and positive outlook. He knew I would need her sweet spirit and listening ears. He knew I needed her example of poise and grace. And He knew how much it would bless my heart to get flowers from her on Valentine's Day.
And this is only one of the many stories of friends who God has brought into my life. I have come to see that nothing is by chance. Nothing is by coincidence. Our God is intentional in all He does because He is fully aware of what lies ahead. And so I praise Him for those He has placed in my path, for I truly believe they were placed there for "such a time as this." (Esther 4:14)
#93 - Because of an intentional God who has blessed me with many intentional friends.
"The LORD Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen." - Isaiah 14:24