James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

My heart swells with love and thanksgiving for the blessing of the special people that God has placed in my life.  While I love my husband and children with a great, deep love; they are extra special people and not the ones that I will be talking about today.

Today I am talking about Christian friends, not tied by blood or marriage, but through faith in Christ.  Gifts from God, blessings in this life.

I had the absolute pleasure more recently to partake in two very special occasions in the lives of two very dear friends.  One, her son’s wedding celebration and the other a bridal shower for her daughter-in-law to be.  After each of these events, I reflected on how beautiful they each were in their unique way.  Heart-warming celebrations where you could feel God’s presence in the people who surrounded you.  For me personally, I marveled at the wonder of my relationships with these wonderful women – they are my family, God’s family and we are sisters in Christ. Such a bond is so deep and so profound.  The connection of being rooted in faith and in sharing the joys and the heartaches of life is uniquely special and precious, when viewed through the lens of faith and love.

I remember many, many years ago I would pray every day and ask God to send me a Christian friend.  I desperately wanted to be around someone that shared my faith, in this new city.  I wanted a friend that moved beyond surface level friendship to a deep, meaningful relationship of love and trust.  Little did I know at that time that God would not only answer my prayer, but He would answer it beyond what I could think or imagine.  As it is said in 1 Corinthians 2:9

⁹ However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”^[a]—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—

While I can’t share all that has transpired in the last twenty years or so of my life (because that would take forever!).  I would love to share some pieces of how God did answer my prayer.

He started with one particular woman entrenched in her faith and her faith intricately woven into her family.  He also introduced her husband to mine and her children to my children.  Our family of four turned into a family of nine.

He didn’t stop there, He gifted me with a small Christian bible study group where I established three more relationships with lovely women.  While He took one back home to be with Him, He allowed her to leave an imprint on my heart of tenacity, faith and fight.  While God doesn’t replace the people He takes, He did bless me with a new joy-filled friend not long after.  And not only her, but her husband as a friend to my husband too.

If that wasn’t enough we established a very close friendship with a small group friend, her and I, her husband and my husband, her son with my son. Our family grew again.

You see but it didn’t even stop there, I prayed for Christian friends for my children and He provided again.  In fact, my one son is standing up as groomsmen in his friend’s wedding.  Maybe this seems less than impressive to you, but you see I watched over the years.  I watched them grow together, then grow apart and then together again.  I didn’t know that the friendship would survive, let alone be so close as to stand up with him on his most important day of his life. Blessings….

He gave me the humility and wisdom to ask forgiveness to two very special people in my life and restored the relationships that I broke.  But He didn’t just restore them, He enriched them to a place well beyond where they were in the earlier years.  Can you even fathom such a thing?  Today one of those two is so intertwined in my daily life, we are journeying life together in a very special and unique way, beyond what I ever would have thought (1 Cor 2:9).

Today I am celebrating the abundance of God’s blessings in my life. Every good and perfect part of the people whom I love and am surrounded by, I know is a precious gift from God above.

I know that the person I am today, is because each of those people allowed God to work through them to change me.  When God shows up in people that surround you, there is no denying His beauty and the beauty that come out through those who allow His Spirit to dwell in them.  It is beautiful, it starts with God, grows with God and ends with God.

Life has not been without heartaches and tears along the way, but we need to remember the faithfulness of God.  Remember that He is our Father, that He loves us and that sometimes life may not look the way we think it should.  Maybe it looks messy and out of control, but we need to remember that God is in control and that when we turn it over to Him – truly turn it over to Him, only good will abound.  It may take time and look entirely different than what we pictured.  Undoubtedly it will look far better than what we could have hoped or imagined.  Stay faithful my friend, God does answer prayers and does shower us with blessings.  Let us remain thankful and let us celebrate the precious ones he has placed in our lives.

To my sisters in Christ, if you are reading this, know that I love you deeply, I cherish each and every one of you for how you have demonstrated Jesus in your lives to me.  I am forever grateful and thankful to God for each and every one of you for reasons that are unique and special about you.  I pray that we will have many more years together, but if not, I know I will see you in heaven and for all eternity.