Are you?
I no more read this post and commented that I need to do this more often...and prayed for God to give me opportunities...when I was presented with a situation and I almost missed it.
By choice.
UGH.
I have been blessed over the course of my life with great friends. I've written on here a lot about how Jim and I have been supported, encouraged and refreshed by the friendships in our lives. There have been times when we were scared and discouraged...and a note or a call from a friend was like a B-12 shot in the arm for us. Boosted our spirits and lifted our heads.
I am convinced that one of the things most of us want in the world...for women, anyway...is for someone to just listen to us. Not tune us out...not roll their eyes...not laugh or make-fun of...not give us a list of how to fix things...not try and fix it for us. We just want someone to LISTEN.
And, hey, it might not be that we are listening to anything "important." Nothing about life decisions or deep-seated insecurities or unspoken dreams. Maybe it's just about kids or recipes or which brand of running shoes are the best. You know, the "regular" stuff of life. How great is it to have someone just STOP and be totally engaged in what you are saying? It's rare, these days.
On Friday, Jim took Joshua and headed down to visit his parents. The plan was for them to spend Friday night and then meet Clark and I at noon at a picnic we had to attend in Little Rock on Saturday. I was excited. School is starting and it's Clark's senior year and I don't know...I have just been feeling kinda of "meh" about the whole thing. I had wanted to paint our master bathroom all summer, but it just wasn't working out. Jim doesn't really like all of the clutter that happens with progress (ha) (I'm pretty messy and I work slow), and so I like to do home-improvement projects when he's going to be out-of-town for a night. I figured Clark would be hanging out with his girlfriend, and I would have many hours to myself to paint and then get things back in order. My mind was ticking...what to hang on the wall beside the tub and maybe we need new bathmats and rugs and how I needed to look up on Pinterest about framing a bathroom mirror because this one is not coming down off the wall without a fight (I've tried...it's stuck on there with wall texture).
I could hardly wait for Jim and Joshua to leave (in a good way!). I went to the store and got the paint, just so I would be all ready. I wanted to get started as soon as their car had cleared the driveway.
But then I got the text from a friend: "we are passing through on our way to a funeral...can we stay at your house tonight?"
And my first thought, minutes after reading that post, was of MY PLANS...how it was going to affect MY PLANS.
And then, I heard the cock crow. Oh, not really...but it might as well have.
And then I laughed...because of how easy it was for me to spout off all the right words. And how easy it was for me to forget the very thing that I had just prayed about..."Lord, make me aware of opportunities to serve You."
Hello?
Knock-knock? Anybody there?
I called my friend and I told them to "COME ON!" I welcomed her into our home. It was perfect timing, even if I didn't think so at first. I am honored that of all the places she could stay, she asked to stay here. It made me happy that she felt comfortable and relaxed here. We talked about life...and about nothing, and just hung out. And when she asked if they could stay a second night, I didn't even have to consider my answer.
"YES!"
"So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up." Galatians 6:9
But then I got the text from a friend: "we are passing through on our way to a funeral...can we stay at your house tonight?"
And my first thought, minutes after reading that post, was of MY PLANS...how it was going to affect MY PLANS.
And then, I heard the cock crow. Oh, not really...but it might as well have.
And then I laughed...because of how easy it was for me to spout off all the right words. And how easy it was for me to forget the very thing that I had just prayed about..."Lord, make me aware of opportunities to serve You."
Hello?
Knock-knock? Anybody there?
I called my friend and I told them to "COME ON!" I welcomed her into our home. It was perfect timing, even if I didn't think so at first. I am honored that of all the places she could stay, she asked to stay here. It made me happy that she felt comfortable and relaxed here. We talked about life...and about nothing, and just hung out. And when she asked if they could stay a second night, I didn't even have to consider my answer.
"YES!"
"So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up." Galatians 6:9
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