Not Her!

There has been a young lady on my mind for a while. I knew what I was supposed to do, but I chose to ignore the nudge to contact her. Why? Well, she’s one of my son’s ex-girlfriends, and I had no desire to contact her. One day, I received a Facebook friend request from her. I was surprised because she was always extremely quiet around me. To be honest, I didn’t think she cared much for me. 

Well, after being uneasy in my spirit from my disobedience, I finally broke down and sent her a message on Facebook. I asked her if I could take her out to dinner, and she graciously accepted. We haven’t agreed on a date yet, but the hard part is over – contacting her. I can’t explain how difficult it was for me. I was reminded of the scripture that says, “Lord, I will follow You, but…” Having sons, there will always be young women in my life. The Lord has shown me that a ministry doesn’t have to be birthed from a meeting and given a title. Ministry is birthed from Him and brought to fruition through obedience. I guess the Lord knew I wouldn’t freely approach this young lady, so he sent her to me through the friend request. 

I sure can’t say I love God then selfishly pick and choose who I spend time with. Sounds so halfhearted to say, I’ll share with young women, but not her! That sounds horrible, but it’s basically what I said in my heart. I’m happy I finally obeyed and contacted her. I don’t know what God has in store, but I’ll simply follow Him, and watch and pray. As difficult as this was for me, I’m sure she’ll be ministering to me as well. As Godly women, our life should be a ministry! 

What Do I Do Now?

I traveled to Montgomery last week to attend my niece’s graduation. I cried like I was her mother because I couldn’t believe she was actually graduating. She looked out of place with the other graduates as she walked in with her high heels and huge afro puff that she somehow perfectly fashioned to show under her cap.  After graduation, my sister captured a funny picture of my niece looking at me as if she was saying, “What do I do now?”

I wonder if the guidance we give our graduates is correct when it comes to following the Holy Spirit. The common things to do after high school graduation is to go to college, trade school, go in the military, or find a job. As parents, we feel obligated to offer direction - especially if they don’t have a clue what to do, but do we trust God enough to tell our graduates to follow their Heavenly Father? Are we brave enough to encourage them to not make a decision until they hear from God? Hmmm… I was in my forties before I found out what direction I was going.

I guess the important thing to do is to teach our children to have their own intimate relationship with God, so they’ll KNOW to follow His direction. It’s never too late to teach them because some of us still don’t know what direction we’re going, yet we expect those young minds to have a plan for life. Maybe we should have a little more patience and a lot more prayer for our children as they try to figure out what to do with their life. Doesn’t Matthew 6:25 say something about not worrying about our life? Ooooouch! Well, Secondborn graduates this Friday, so I guess I need to practice what I preach. Lord, help me! 

A FRIEND

I’ve said many times that I wanted to move to the mountains. I’ve expressed how I get my strength from solitude, and since Secondborn is graduating from high school soon, I recently told a friend I wanted to move to a place where nobody knew my name. She quickly said, without hesitation, “That’s what you don’t need to do.”  

I’ve always known I was somewhat of a hermit, but this friend told me I was close to becoming a recluse. I looked up recluse and found - a person who lives a solitary life and tends to avoid other people - synonym: hermit. I’ve always been an introvert, but this friend said I  was taking it to another level – a disappearing act. My love for solitude isn’t the focus of this meditation, but having an honest friend is. We don’t always see ourselves with objective eyes, so having a bold and honest friend who doesn’t selfishly look out for themselves in the friendship is a treasure.

I didn’t debate or defend myself – I listened. Her wise counsel and sound reasoning allowed me to hear from God. Women vent, so it’s important we vent to those sent by God. God sends friends for a season and some for a lifetime, and that’s His choice not an emotional choice. Life happens and He knows exactly who we need on our journey. Some will walk with us until we die and others walk with us through various storms. 

Treasure your friends and enjoy the journey with them. Let them know you treasure them. This particular friend I spoke to happens to be my baby sister, and I thank God she’s bold enough to tell me when I’m crazy and off track – only a friend will do this. I don’t use the word, friend, lightly because there’s not a friend like Jesus – no not one!