Day 23: Lifers

You know how sometimes you can be with someone that knows you so well that you feel like you can just relax and be yourself and they will still love you? I hope you do know that feeling. You feel that way because you have experience with these people. They have likely lived through good times and bad times with you. They have probably seen you at your best and even at your worst, and yet! they are still right there with you! They haven't given up on you, and you haven't given up on them. Sometimes friendship isn't easy. Sometimes, you're separated from your friends my miles, hours, time zones, or state lines. Sometimes, you're in different life stages where it makes sense for you to have other friends in addition to your lifelong friends. Sometimes the roles of your lifelong friends change. That doesn't lessen their significance. It actually kind of makes them more valuable, if that's even possible.

I have some lifelong friends. I hope you do too. I'm missing my girls particularly today. No reason that I can nail down, other than it's Wednesday and I miss my lifers. These girls have played huge roles in my life already. For example, when I ran the half last November, 2 of my friends came to support me and actually ran parts of the race with me. So really my best friends have literally joined me in the race. Literally and figuratively. I am so blessed and I hope my lifers know they're missed and loved dearly. I hope you have friends like this too. We were not made to go through life alone. On the first day of this year, the post at (in)courage included this quote: "Alone is not an option." I wrote it on a post-it, stuck it on the edge of my computer screen, and I see it every day. Even when I feel like I am or want to be alone, I see that quote and I'm reminded that I was made to be in relationships with other people. Jesus was, wasn't He? The times when I feel like I want to isolate myself from the rest of the world are the times that I probably need people the most. I'm so thankful that God orchestrates my life and that I am not in charge. I'm so thankful that God brought my people into my life at the perfect times and He continues to intertwine their lives with mine. If it were up to me, I'd screw it up. But He is perfect and His timing is perfect and the relationships He builds are perfect. I am so glad I get to enjoy the ones He's brought into my life.